Corny. Sappy. Brainless. Unoriginal. Garbage.

Just some of the words that first come to mind when listening to Ashton Allen's debut solo album, "Dewdrops."

It's either the singer/songwriter doesn't know how to express his "deep" secrets about love lost in an articulate manner, or he's trying to gobble up what remains of the Dashboard Confessional fan base.

Basically, the cliché ditties obsess about obscure women who don't love Allen in an unconditional manner.

And rather than doing something about it, he would rather write foolish tunes aimed to please middle school girls.

The beginning lyrics of track eight, "Every Hour of the Day," sum up Allen's inability to express any sort of concrete details about his difficulties with crushes.

"I've been writing a lot of songs about you/A lot of songs about you, It's easier that way/And I've been crying an awful lot about you/An awful lot about you."

Who cares?

Lyrically, Allen never allows the listeners to interject themselves into his pain because he's lousy at utilizing any sort of physical detail.

Who are these women Allen is writing about? Is it the same girl or a multitude — don't know, can't say.

Allen does compare a woman of his affection to something concrete on track 13, "Pretty Pink Rose."

But come on, a "Pretty Pink Rose?" If a third-grader wrote a poem about a "Pretty Pink Rose," the teacher would hand the kid a thesaurus.

And the lyrics wouldn't be so dreadfully problematic if the music were unique or somewhat original.

Allen takes zero chances musically, staying perfectly in key and only making natural progressions.

Most of the songs are acoustic guitar driven, but three numbers see piano parts take the lead — "Drive," "If You Leave" and "Starting Over."

On the piano-driven tunes, Allen sings in an extra emotional tone, commentating ridiculously obvious lines.

From "Starting Over," he shares the blatant news that each day is different from the last.

"I wasn't who you were hoping for/But every day's a new day/As sure as the stars in the sky."

One highlight is the other musicians chiming in with horn and string parts. Track nine — "The World's Fair" — has great depth and some eerie bits, thanks to those string parts.

The song would have been really flat without the strings.

If you want to check Allen out live, he will be performing tonight in Ann Arbor at Touchdown Cafe, 1220 South University Ave.

He is also performing at 8 p.m. Thursday at Magdalena's Tea House, 2006 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing.

Check him out if you still can't stop singing along to "Screaming Infidelities."