By Mike Fordham

Having split from Toad The Wet Sprocket some time ago, frontman Glen Phillips has been lying low for some time. He returns with Winter Pays For Summer, his third solo album. An all-star supporting cast backs up Phillips on this effort. Famed producer Jon Brion laid down some guitar-work while Ben Folds added vocals and piano. Former Semisonic singer Dan Wilson co-wrote three songs with Phillips and even Jon Foreman of Switchfoot contributed backing vocals.

With such a powerful boost from a great lineup, one would expect Phillips to go for broke and reclaim the glory days of Toad The Wet Sprocket. While everything sounds fine in print, the resulting effort is a bit disappointing.

Winter Pays For Summer starts off with some punch. “Duck And Cover” and “Thankful” are two nuggets of solid pop/rock, sounding like if Tom Petty went Top 40. Later on, a catchy chorus and ringing guitar solos make “Finally Fading” a memorable listen and “Easier” harks back to Phillips’ previous band. The soft “Simple” features wavering guitars among a country/folk setting while “Released” is stripped down just to Phillips and an acoustic guitar, making a winning combination.

From here, however, the album takes a hit in quality. Even with Folds helping out, “Courage” comes off as a sappy Sister Hazel-esque ballad. The general weirdness of “Gather” begs asking why this was even left on the record. The remainder of Winter Pays For Summer finds Phillips meddling in adult-oriented pop/rock. While other contemporaries excel in crafting sophisticated pop/rock, Phillips’ brand seems standard and easily forgettable (“True,” “Cleareyed” and “Falling”). It’s surprising that these particular efforts aren’t some of the album’s stronger tracks since pop maestros Wilson and Brion helped on these songs.

Phillips does find redemption in much weightier fare, however. “Released” is simply Phillips and an acoustic guitar. The song’s prettiness is found in its naked starkness. The melancholy sound in “Half Life” strangely fits in with the album despite a lineup of mostly upbeat tunes. Perhaps Phillips will go down this path in future recordings.

With any luck, Winter Pays For Summer will show that Phillips is more than a singer for some one-hit wonder rock band. If Phillips wants staying power, though, he has to bring more to the table. The promise certainly is there; it’s simply a matter of Phillips going places with it.

The Chronicle gives “Winter Pays For Summer”, by Glen Phillips three out of five stars.