The singer-songwriter sub-genre is one of the most underrated in the realm of modern rock. Many artists working in this field go largely unnoticed, such as Freedy Johnston, Liz Phair and Beth Hart. Yet their music is great, and just as good as the music being put out by modern rock bands. One of the artists at the forefront of this movement is Matthew Sweet.

Describing Sweet's style is tricky. On a first listen, one hears the straight-up guitar-pop sound and may classify it as "shiny-happy" pop music, but one listen to his lyrics lets the listener know otherwise. In one of his biggest hits, "Sick of Myself," Sweet sings: "I'm sick of myself/ When I look at you/ Something so beautiful and true/World that's ugly and a lie/It's hard to even want to try." Hardly shiny-happy.

Sweet's first album, Inside debuted in 1986 on Columbia Records. Needless to say, this album isn't very good. It's very much an 80's album: glossy, overdone at parts with heavy emphasis on production values. There are a few good songs however, "Quiet Her" and "Blue Pools" being amongst them. The album was a disappointment, both artistically and commercially, and Sweet's 1989 follow up, Earth didn't fare too much better.

It would be Sweet's third album, 1991's Girlfriend, that would provide both his artistic and commercial breakthrough. Many of you may be familiar with the title track, and its cool video which made use of Japanese anime, a passion of Sweets. "Girlfriend" the song was a big hit and helped get Sweet exposure on radio. Yet there are songs on this album that blow "Girlfriend" away, among them "I've Been Waiting," "Holy War," the boo-tay kicking "Evangeline" and the acoustic tear jerker "Nothing Lasts." This album constantly shows up in "Top Albums of the 90's" lists, deservedly so.

Sweet released the follow up to Girlfriend in 1993, titled Altered Beast. This is another fine album and had its fair share of hits also, such as "The Ugly Truth" and "Time Capsule." Altered Beast also contains one of my personal favorite Matthew Sweet songs: "Someone to Pull the Trigger," which is not what you might think it's about. The next year Sweet put out an EP, Son of Altered Beast, which contained live and alternate versions of songs from Altered Beast, as well as the track "Superdeformed."

It was Sweet's 1995 effort, 100 % Fun, that would bring me into the fold. Many people I have talked to really don't like this album, but I think it comes close to the rivaling Girlfriend. The album spawned three singles: "Sick of Myself," "We're the Same," and "Super baby." Yet these songs only scratch the surface of the album. If you really want to see what this album is about, then check out the tracks "Walk Out," "Lost My Mind," "I Almost Forgot" and the beautiful "Smog Moon."

Blue Sky On Mars came out in 1997, and in my opinion, is one of Sweet's weakest efforts, right behind Earth. There are a few good songs on it though, including the first single "Where Do You Get Love?" and "Come to California." Sweet returned to form in 1999 with In Reverse. After Blue Sky on Mars I really didn't have high hopes for this album, but I was impressed. Some key tracks include: "Millennium Blues," "Future Shock" and "Faith in You."