“Once told he looked like a “pen salesman” by “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell, season three’s Jon Peter Lewis had a certain offbeat charm that won over many of the show’s fans. Several years later, JPL’s personality remains just as endearing, though musically, he’s grown more comfortable in his skin. Compared with 2006′s uneven “Stories From Hollywood,” second full-length “Break the Silence” is a more solid effort, with guitar-fueled pop/rock (the title track, “Now That I’m Kneeling”) juxtaposed against heartfelt acoustic numbers (piano ballad “No Fire,” a cover of Garth Brooks’ “To Make You Feel My Love”) and blues rock (“Bridges”). A few songs serve as little more than filler (“Everybody Falls,” “Came Here For”), but on the whole “Silence” is likely to make one-time fans take note once again. —Jill Menze”
