Kevin Bronson on March 14th, 2022

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Rounding up four albums that were released on Friday — from Sun Kiss, Teddy Grossman, Finn Matthews and BOYO …

SUN KISS, “Leo Carillo & Other Stories”

“I wanna be the right man / but I treat you wrong,” croons Marcus Buser on “Right Man,” playing the sorrowful soul man. It’s not the only musical persona multi-talented songwriter inhabits on “Leo Carillo & Other Stories,” his debut album as Sun Kiss. He’s a soft-rock soothsayer, jazz-savvy lounge guy and dream-pop shaman on the 11-track collection, recorded at his Highland Park home studio as a virtual one-man flex. “Leo Carillo” [sic, somehow the second “r” got lost in the surf] offers sepia-toned — but definitely not dog-eared — vignettes from a difficult time in his life. He pays bills as a music teacher and touring musician, and the pandemic all but quashed the latter. “While writing and recording this album,” he says, “I lost my career, fell deeply in love, had my heart broken, made mistakes, battled addiction, self-destruction and eventually tried really hard to learn to love myself again.” Surfing provides Buser some refuge, so there are tunes saluting three state beaches, Leo Carrillo, Rincon and Point Dume. Mostly, though, they’re warm songs of redemption, self-produced just so, given a proper nudge by Raven Scott’s backing vocals. Start with buttery early singles “Treat You Right” and “Melt Away,” let your mind wander to “Only in Dreams” and “Dreaming in the Morning Light,” then be thankful Buser kept giving himself second chances to find “Fresh Air.”

TEDDY GROSSMAN, “Soon Come”

Onetime traveling salesman Teddy Grossman arrived in L.A. four years ago intent on fulfilling his musical destiny. One thing he didn’t leave behind was his reverence for ’60s and ’70s soul, which is the sweet spot he hits on his debut album, “Soon Come.” His golden-age vocals, Ryan Pollie’s production and elaborate arrangements including strings, horns, organ, slide guitar and backing vocals make the album quite an entrance. Singles such as “Giving Up” and “Leave It on the Line” seem plucked from the gospel of decades past, and, especially if artists such a Bill Withers were in your good book, you’ll want to take songs like “Faith” to church.

FINN MATTHEWS, “Things I’ve Been Going Thru”

Finn Matthews, the 21-year-old New Jersey native who moved to L.A. as a teenager and enjoyed the tutelage of Grammy-winning songwriter Elijah Blake, tries to separate himself from the masses doing pop/R&B with almost-rapped verses that come off as sing-songy. His youthful charisma and estimable falsetto figure to take him far, but “Things I’ve Been Going Thru” could use a little more specificity, not to mention sophistication. “Low Key” is the hit — no surprise if you dwell on the pop playlists — but the demo appended to the end of the album might be the highlight.

BOYO, “Echoes Like Memories”

BOYO mastermind Robert Tilden acknowledged that his new album “Echoes Like Memories” — the follow-up to two stellar releases in 2020 — was something of a rush job. He had another, more downcast album written but instead sought to capture end-of-the-pandemic euphoria (and kick off a tour) with something more upbeat. But despite its lo-fi, funky friskiness, BOYO’s sixth album feels dashed off. His 2020 albums, especially, “Where Have All My Friends Gone?,” set the bar higher. They can’t all be “Special.”