McCauliffe Brothers Band, brothers Chris (guitar, lead vocals, keyboards) and Mike McCauliffe (bass, backing vocals) had talked about leaving their corporate jobs to commit fully to writing, producing and recording their second album at their studio, the Sound Grove in Chapel Hill, NC. Between working 40 hours a week and gigging on weekends, there was little time left to write, record and get the professional result they were looking for. It was just a dream until Mike was laid off from his job at the end of 2013.

The McCauliffe Brothers Band’s debut full-length, It’s Likely, is, to be quite frank, a mixed bag. A self-described rock/funk/jazz/improvisation/pop act, the North Carolina band treads the line between genres with varied success throughout their first album. To be sure, some listeners will find fault with the band’s musical schizophrenia or the lack of definition in their sound. For my part, though, I enjoyed the set as a whole.