The last track on the album is easily the most jazz-oriented entry. It’s a cover of Ray Charles' “Hit the Road Jack” (written by Percy Mayfield), performed as a duet with another season 10 Idol finalist, Haley Reinhart. This version is quite a bit different than the Charles classic. It has a more relaxed, slowed-down feel, with a more prominent bass line. Casey plays bass on the track, and he manages a pretty good guitar solo too! Reinhart’s jazz-blues chops are on full display, and the whole track has a very cool feel. Other highlights from the album include the upbeat “Blame It On Me,” and the acoustic ballad “Great Bright Morning.” It's easy to overlook “Great Bright Morning” in its subtlety, but its heartfelt sound and warm acoustic work make it worth going back to. “Blame It On Me” is just fun to listen to. It's steady-rocking, propulsive pop that suits Abrams' vocal style quite well.
There are several are catchy, mid-tempo tunes on the album including the opening track “Simple Life,” which is another track where Abrams shows off his skills on the upright bass. “Stuck in London” is another track you might find yourself humming later in the day. Lyrics like “You and me/Eating mangoes in a mango tree” are a little silly, but fun in a light-hearted way. While I wouldn't say any of the tracks on the album are outright poor, some are less memorable such as “Midnight Girl,” and the only new track Abrams didn't write, “A Boy Can Dream.” Some of the tracks lean more towards straight pop for my taste. “Get Out” is definitely hooky, but sounds a little like something Justin Bieber might do. A few weaker moments aside, Casey Abrams is a solid debut that shows a lot of potential in this up and coming artist.
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