I have had the hardest time getting a solid opinion on this album. I love Heath McNease, the hip-hop artist, because of his wit, sarcasm and satire. I even love McNease with his more singer song-writer side that he displayed on Welcome To The Gun Show. The House Always Wins is not a total departure from his previous signer-song writer stint on Shine or even from some of the songs on Gun Show, but yet it feels different.I think the main change is that most of the songs take themselves more seriously. Kind of like having Will Ferrell playing a completely serious role in a movie, it’s just hard to get used to.Now that I have qualified my opinion. I like the album; it has a Jason Mraz\u002FJack Johnson feel that is easy to love, especially if you are already a fan of the aforementioned artists.Songs like title track keep it light via whistling, even though the song is about losing a significant other to another man.“Too Much Love” has a cool retro keyboard rhythm under the drum and acoustic guitar that give it a unique feel to other artists who are stylistically similar.The lightest moment comes in the form of a cool ditty called “On And Down.” With a playful tune and lyrics about bad luck with women, it’s probably my favorite.“Come Prepared” has a fun rhythm to it and a rhyme to the lyrics that are quite fun. Plus it’s hard to not like a song with hand claps and whistling.“Blend” has a sweet, but not too sweet, love song vibe that is refreshing. This one is sure to get an “aww” out of anyone of the female persuasion.A lot of the other tracks are somewhat somber and slower, which is not my favorite side of McNease, but they are well done non-the-less.Over all I don’t think I like it as much as his previous offering of this vein, Shine, but it is still is another good album by a very talented artist. Let’s face it Heath McNease is not afraid of taking chances.On And DownThe House Always WinsBlendCome Prepared