Under the Radar

All Mike Errico needs is a little luck for his brand of alternative folk-pop to finally reach the lofty commercial heights of Dave Matthews and John Mayer. Like those two far-from-overnight successes, the New York City singer/songwriter has spent years earning his stripes by slogging it out on the coffeehouse circuit and self-releasing a handful of albums along the way. This grassroots effort would be meaningless if he didn't have the talent and the tunes to back it up, but thankfully you can find both on his new offering, Skimming. Errico frequently comes across like a less arcane Jeff Buckley on his arrangements; there are also traces of Counting Crows' Adam Duritz and Soul Coughing's Mike Doughty in his yearning vocal tone, and a healthy dose of ribald humor in his lyrics, too. If a standout song like "Grace" or the title track ever finds its way onto radio or MTV, it will be all about arenas and stretch limos for Mr. Errico -- mark my words.