My rule since music school is to listen to new music at least three times before deciding whether or not I like it. So having listened to Doug Keith’s sophomore album, “The Lucky Ones,” three times over the past week, it really didn’t make me a fan. At first I thought, “hey, this is better the third time around,” but then I was wrong. Not that this is a terrible CD, but it just didn’t do much for me.

“The Lucky Ones” begins on a down note with “We Left Everything” which talks about heartbreak, dropping out of school, wasting your life, and doing drugs. Wow. Nice start there, Doug. Way to pull us in. About three-quarters of the CD are slow and thoughtful with a few splashes of optimism thrown in for good measure: “The Lucky Ones” and “Don’t Let Your Darkness Overtake You” are two good examples, but the somber mood quickly returns.

Doug’s voice sounds like a combination of Eddie Vedder, Jakob Dylan, and Tom Waits rolled into one: low, raspy, and soulful. This multi-instrumental singer-songwriter wrote all songs and played most of the instruments on the album which is impressive (he did have help on some of the tracks). Mr. Keith even co-owns the independent The Village Label. Technically, this is a very well-played and produced CD. Musically, it just comes across more as background music than anything else.

Currently Doug is on the road for his 2010 “So Low, Solo” tour; just Doug, a guitar, a harmonica, and a car. Tour dates can be found on his Web site/blog (www.dougkeith.com).