Rick Andersen is a modern troubadour about whom we know very little. His biography refers to a dishwasher in Salem, Ore., which means that he appears to be following a familiar route for many of our best-known performers at the early stages of their careers. We are confident that, given the breaks, Rick has the potential to follow them along the same road.

The songs on his CD Little Fish are lovely stories, each self-contained and set to a catchy tune. There is a refreshing humour in the lyrics. On "Samson's Lament," for instance, he offers "a lock of my wavy hair." Even war gets a nice light slant on his track, "Fireworks."

I hope that Rick maintains his positive outlook as he asks us on "Waiting" to smile at just about everyone and everything. The album is littered with excellent quotes that the whole world should be hearing, like "never say you're purple when you're blue."

But there are also some lovely serious elements to this CD. "The Sandals of the Saint" is one track like this that can make us think while we enjoy the tune.

This is CD to hear rather than to read about so get out there and purchase -- and set Rick on the path to a better career.