Mark Wayne Glasmire is another one of those major talents that a lot of people have never heard of. He has bounced around the music industry since the 1980s; born in Bethlehem, Pa., he began playing out when he was in college and spent the '80s playing the Pennsylvania-New York City circuit, where he met with a little early success. Moving on down to Nashville in 1995, he discovered his career was hotter in the Texas area and moved there.

Although he still lives there, he came back to Nashville to record MWG, a seven-song EP that should widen his audience and enhance his marketability. The music blends country, folk and pop; the songs are well-written (Glasmire has won several major songwriting awards) and deal with a wide range of social and political issues.

The album opens with "Last of a Dying Breed," an uptempo number that deals with our society's tendency to try to pass the blame for whatever happens onto someone else and emphasizes the need to be responsible and honest. He then ventures into Jimmy Buffett territory for the Calypso-reggae tinged "I Like You," which is much lighter in theme and treatment than the opening song. "Going Home" tells the story of a veteran trying to find his way back.

If there is a single song on the album summing up Glasmire's themes and concerns, it is "The Moment," a song in which the singer is happy, unified with his lover. In it, he declares that he knows the past is behind them and he doesn't know what tomorrow will bring, so he accepts the moment and prays it will continue. Like the other cuts on the CD, it's a fine song.

Give MWG a try. It'll pay off for you.