The latest album from Broken Social Scene’s resident troubadour is much like his previous solo work — if you’re into his brand of singer-songwriter rock, you’ll be pleased. If, on the other hand, Collett’s particular style of ’70s Dylan singing and urban folkie smarm is too much for you, Here’s to Being Here will drive you crazy.

As far as singer-songwriters go, Collett’s style is fairly interesting. On many of the songs, he strays from the typical dude-with-a-guitar-and-a-story formula and adds certain musical textures that aren’t often heard in more straight-up roots rock. Unfortunately, while some of Collett’s tactics build interest, a lot of his style just comes off as unpalatable. Positioning himself as the unsung stoned poet of Kensington Market, his slurred vocals and overwrought lyrics sound more icky than profound. Whether or not the songs actually reflect Collett’s life is irrelevant — his delivery smacks of an inauthenticity that makes the tracks uncomfortable. It’s only when he plays it straight and sticks to more conventional singer-songwriter material that he hits a pocket where both he and his songs sound natural and true.

With that said, Here’s to Being Here isn’t a bad album — lord knows that many a lesser songwriter has had plenty of success getting this kind of stuff played on CBC radio. To truly shine as a performer, though. Collett is going to have to learn to be a lot more convincing and humble when he belts them out.