Bucket

1	Wrong Guy 4:53
2	Pocket of Red 3:40
3	A Touch Is All 3:51
4	Pittsburgh 4:00
5	Seven Dollars 4:21
6	In the Back of Your Mind 3:57
7	I Don't Like It 3:11
8	All Grown Up 3:33
9	Come out Tonight 4:28
10	Candy Red 5:17
11	Last Goodbye 4:44

Barnes & Noble

Mexican-born Texan Mando Saenz makes his sophomore album a launching point for what should be a significant career. Inventively produced by R. S. Field, with captivating songs both self-penned and collaborative (with Kim Richey and Will Kimbrough, notably), Bucket also boasts inspired musical support from guitarists Kenny Vaughn and Richard Bennett, among others. Saenz locks into a captivating, unsettling mood from the outset of the ethereal guitars-and-tablas-driven soundscape of "Wrong Guy," a different kind of bitter kiss-off number in which the narrator is less assured of having the last laugh than he is of his lingering resentment. At the other end of the emotional spectrum, the guitar stomp of "I Don't Like It" evokes more immediate emotions of impatience and longing. Thus the paradox of Bucket: The light and the dark are barely distinguishable, and Saenz's songs illustrate how easily one can mutate into the other. Possessed of an unsteady sense of order in matters of the heart, Saenz's sound and phrasing have the laconic flavor of a backwoods Rufus Wainwright, not as overtly dramatic but every bit as bruised, yet always looking for a reason to believe. Saenz never fully emerges into daybreak: in the album's tender closing ballad, "Last Goodbye," amid a lush backdrop keyed by violin and piano, he ponders whether to self-medicate himself into oblivion but in the next breath invites a return visit from his lost love. As Mickey and Sylvia observed long ago, love is strange. David McGee

All Music Guide

Mando Saenz has a bevy of musicians around him, perhaps because a good portion of the material that he brings to this record is so inviting and strong, roots-saturated and with ample heaps of Americana sprinkled throughout. Bucket opens with the light, folksy "Wrong Guy," bringing to mind a cross between an acoustic version of Gin Blossoms mixed with the BoDeans. Meanwhile, the singer/songwriter revs things up with punchy power pop oozing out of "Pocket of Red," which has a few Keith Richards-like riffs. Saenz's strong pop sensibilities -- in the vein of Tim Finn -- are readily apparent during the midtempo, melancholic "A Touch Is All," which shifts gears for verse two. That isn't to say that everything comes up smelling like roses, as "Seven Dollars" is good but sounds a bit like Saenz is going through the motions rather safely. However, perhaps the song is a "grower" after a few listens. What is quickly deemed to be a keeper is the solid, tender roots pop propelling "In the Back of Your Mind," which could be mistaken for a cover of a Ryan Adams gem. The same can be said for "All Grown Up" and its lovely duet with Kim Richey. The closing one-two combination of "Candy Red," with its precious alt-country foundation, and the alluring "Last Goodbye" makes this album flow with ease. ~ Jason MacNeil, All Music Guide