The initial feeling that I got when I threw on Ol’ Tony’s CD was that this was just another singer songwriter from the Middle Tennessee area.

Tony Lehew, a.k.a. Ol’ Tony, however, isn’t just another singer songwriter; he is actually one of our very own Murfreesboro firefighters, who gives a shout out to anyone else who may be an “Everyday Hero” in a song by the same name.

The overall production of his CD is very nice at times due to some sonicly satisfying guitar tones along with some ferocious fills thrown in from time to time.

The first and best song, “Heart of an Outlaw,” starts out pretty good, with a nice picking line leading the way, but the premise of the song is slightly off kilter as to what the title led me to believe. Being kind of an outlaw myself, I felt like the writer missed the whole point of what being an outlaw really is. It’s not necessarily breaking the law, it’s just living outside of it and doing whatever it is you want to do.

In spite of this, it is still a good track as a whole that definitely holds true to that outlaw feel.

Nothing else on the CD really caught my eye, though.

Some places feature passionate female backup vocals and “Joshua Blue” develops into some great groove and tasty trade offs, but overall it seemed like I had just stumbled upon something thrown into a blender and put on puree.

One song, “Hillbilly Footstomp,” is a typical lively Bluegrass number, complete with fiddle, and the next track, “The Best I Am,” sounds like something typically played during the slow dance after a wedding. Other songs use blues and rock style, while a polished, modern country feel seems to be present throughout.

Is this diversity? Or just a musician struggling to find his sound. (Not to mention occasionally struggling to find the correct pitch.)

On the other hand, I would like to see more from Ol’ Tony because I hear potential from this everyday hero.