Red Wanting Blue/The Speedbumps

Columbus, Ohio-based Red Wanting Blue has had a quite year. After struggling to rise above the college/small club circuit, the alternative rock act finally shows signs of emerging as major players. This past summer, the band performed on The Late Show with David Letterman and toured incessantly in support of From The Vanishing Point, which came out at the beginning of the year. The band’s husky vocals and mid-tempo melodies come off as a little too conventional, but the guys are good enough songwriters that they overcome those limitations, especially in the live setting. (Jeff Niesel)