Most of Howie Day’s newest CD ends up fading into background

Howie Day, who saw his major label debut reach gold status thanks to the single “Collide,” returned Tuesday with “Sound the Alarm.”

Trivia: Day turned heads early in his career by looping sounds from a single acoustic guitar during solo appearances, turning himself into a one-man band.

Standouts: “Longest Night” is an admirably uplifting song that follows a pattern similar to Snow Patrol’s mammoth hit “Chasing Cars.”

Fans dig: Maine natives

Andy says: Day can be ingenious, a fact underscored by his early performances. His third full-length album aims high, with summery love songs such as “Weightless” clearly meant to leave listeners feeling all gooey inside. However, the album fails to connect. Most of its 11 tracks fade into the background, as midtempo as they are middle-of-the-road.

Grade: C-plus

Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455; arathbun@heraldnet.com.