Just when you figure it's safe to lump him with other ho-hum new country artists, Nashville's Craig Morgan moves up a rung, delivering both the singing and songwriting goods on his debut album. His original songs are real-life retrospectives, flashbacks on where he grew up (302 South Maple Avenue) and the thrill of telling his parents about a kindling romance (Something to Write Home About). Morgan remains cozy with country music traditions by snagging the legendary Merle Haggard to duet on I Wish I Could See Bakersfield, a tribute to the late songwriter Tommy Collins. And while the gimmicky horns and synthesizers on Ev'rything's a Thing prove Morgan is far from saccharine-proof, the rocker It's Me (with its hints of a young Buck Owens drawl) gives hope that there is even more tiger in the tank.