(Phrex Records

www.greghumphreys.net

People You May Know may be the best set of late night standards released this year. Except for the fact that these songs aren't standards at all, but rather some very supple originals. North Carolina native Greg Humphreys has undergone several musical transformations over the years, from the modest countrified pop musings proffered by his first band, Dillon Fence, to the rarified funk of his previous outfit Hobex. Yet this new, all-so-mellow solo collection not only finds Humphreys in a reflective state but dabbling in a more sophisticated style as well.

There's an unerring familiarity found in all these tunes, from the jaunty jazz motif of the swinging "Only One of Me" -- a tune tailor-made for a crooner like Michael Buble -- to the smoky barroom ballad "Must Be the Moon" and the folkie-sounding "Low and Meddlesome Sound," which seemingly plucks its melody from Simon and Garfunkel's take on "Scarborough Fair." The rest of the tunes boast an easy-listening veneer, with tracks like "Oo La La (I Love You)" and "The Passionate Shepherd" showing off Humphrey's breezy guitar strum and his casual way with melancholy melodies.

An unassuming set of songs overall - the quiet yearning of the supremely soulful "Comin' Home Soon" offers a prime example of how Humphreys accomplishes more with less -- People You May Know is like the return embrace from a long-lost lover, one who's calm and comforting, and yet sensuous and seductive.

DOWNLOAD: "Only One of Me," "Must Be the Moon," "Comin' Home Soon" LEE ZIMMERMAN