Rex Goudie — Look Closer

The 2005 Canadian Idol runner-up has released his sophomore CD under the tutelage of producer Jeff Dalziel. Lead single "You Got To Me," written by Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk and featuring guitar contributions from Ian Thornley, help boost the effort. Goudie channels Bon Jovi on "My One Mistake," throws out a few pop-rock numbers, and sometimes sounds like an introspective John Mellencamp. Needless to say, the Canadian Idol runner-up's target demographic isn't the indie crowd. Television viewers will know that the building crescendo chorus is the Idol money shot, and this disc is full of them. Look Closer should still appeal to Goudie's core fans and stands a decent shot of bringing some new ones on board. But it's hard to chase away the spectre of a lurking Ben Mulroney, and Goudie's platinum-selling debut set the sales bar awfully high.