All Smiles may be a new name to the music scene, but the face behind the "Smiles" certainly isn't.

He is Jim Fairchild, former Grandaddy guitarist — turned singer-songwriter. Although Grandaddy officially announced its breakup in January 2006, the band had met previously to discuss it. The group had never fully cashed in on their performances because of their decision to not buy into the big venue, expensive ticket side of the music industry — that, as well as the members' lack of communication led to their end.

The air surrounding the band had been negatively charged for a while, and that gave Fairchild some warning about what was to come. It also provided him with some incentive to begin planning for his future. The majority of the songs that appear on his latest album, Ten Readings of a Warning, had already been written within the short span of January to the summer months of 2005.

While living in Portland, Fairchild decided he had better work on releasing some of the material he had recently worked on. In his Oregon apartment, the artist recorded most of his songs on an 8-track in either his kitchen or living room.

Although acting as a solo musician, Fairchild realized that he could not do it all alone and enlisted the help of some very talented drummers. Featured on his album are some of the finest of the Pacific Northwest, including Joe Plummer of Black Heart Procession playing on most tracks, Danny Seim of Menomena, Solon Bixler of Great Northern and Janet Weiss formerly of Sleater-Kinney and currently of Quasi and the Jicks.

The percussion provides the perfect strands to connect Fairchild's acoustic guitar playing and vocals. His hard work did not go unnoticed, and while he has since moved to Chicago, Ten Readings of a Warning was picked up and released on Los Angeles label Dangerbird Records.

After playing the guitar in a band for 10 years, singing has been a new adventure for him. Fairchild credits Peter Walker, fellow musician and co-founder of Dangerbird Records, with "making him learn to sing." Although he may feel uncomfortable at times, being able to sing his self-written words is an accomplishment he is proud of. His voice is a soft and semi-breathy tenor, and the emotions of his lyrics are expressed vividly. As he gains more confidence in his vocals, his music will only continue to improve.

As a compilation, Fairchild's songs are highly introspective, and listeners can feel the passion in his lyrics and in the way he arranges them. In certain cases, it becomes equally obvious that these tracks were recorded in a pretty rudimentary fashion. In rare instances, this causes a flurry of fuzziness to occur, but in most respects, this method of recording adds character to the songs, giving them a very unpolluted sound. Although classified as indie rock, Fairchild tries to avoid defining his sound; he wants people to listen to it with as few preconceived notions as possible.

Of all 11 songs on Ten Readings of a Warning, there is not one lousy track in the bunch. There are, of course, some that stand out more than others. Because the tempo of many of his songs is slow, the rare instances of faster beats make the ears perk up a bit. "Pile of Burning Leaves" and "Sprinting Hyphens" provide a good change of pace.

Fairchild's ability to play different instruments, like the piano in "The Velvetest Balloon," also provides listeners with some welcomed variation, and "Summer Stay" sounds just like its title, light and easy listening.

As Fairchild's first solo album debuts, listeners will be able to appreciate Ten Readings of a Warning's melodious simplicity and the artist's ability to capture his own thoughts and emotions in a meaningful way.

Grade: 3 out of 5