By Rocco Colella

The past few years have given us a wide variety of singer-songwriter musicians, from John Mayer to Jack Johnson, but after myriad clones of these brooding and sexy sounding boys with guitars, it starts to get old real quick.

However, Josh Zuckerman’s sound is something completely different: alternative pop rock with a little bit of country to it.

The title track begins the album and is one of the most energetic songs on it. With a strong drum beat and background chorus, the song revels in forgetting about past relationships and succumbing to this “totally new sensation.”

The other songs on the album are all different in sound. With “Spiritual,” Zuckerman plays slick guitar chords and sings “Come to me close/Now come a little bit closer/Don’t go to sleep/Spoon with me for awhile.”

Zuckerman says he’s had a wide range of musical influences, ranging from pop to punk to rock. He lists REM, Sheryl Crow, Bon Jovi, Pink and The Pretenders as some of his influences. As you listen to some of the songs on this album, it becomes apparent how he incorporates the styles of these artists into his songs. His voice is gruff and growls at times much like Jon Bon Jovi’s, especially on songs like “A Place That I Call Home.”

Zuckerman said this song is his favorite song on the CD. Beginning with an a cappella performance, it eventually becomes a tender acoustic song with haunting background vocals.

Every song on the album has a different sound. “Missing You” begins with chords sounding like folk goddess Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” but goes on to sound totally different.

The next track, “Just as Well,” is the most upbeat of all the songs. When he sings “I walked down the street on a cloudy day/I saw a big ditch and I fell into it. Shit!,” you’d swear his voice becomes part of the drumbeat.

The most interesting track is “Circle of Friends,” an electronic fused ditty that begins sounding like The Postal Service, but evolves into a rock explosion that Bon Jovi would admire.

Zuckerman could be the sound to refresh both radio airwaves and the MTV crowd. Given the selection of popular music these days, praise is well deserved.

“I would have to say it’s a mixture of all my wide range of influences all rolled up into me,” Zuckerman said.

Zuckerman tells fans to keep their fingers crossed for an upcoming tour of New England.

“My manager and I are working on a new tour for the spring and we will definitely be coming to the New England area,” he said.

Look for Zuckerman’s album, “A Totally New Sensation,” in stores and online.