Bill Parsons' debut album, Unskilled Labor, is as varied as his musical background. At the age of eight he began singing in barber shop quartets and madrigal groups. High school found him in a folk/rock cover band, and in college an a capella group. With the help of co-producer Mike Harvey and an outstanding group of "Contract Workers," Parsons crafted an album that unfolds from folk to rock to what Parsons calls acoustic grunge. Parsons' choice of songs (7 originals plus Unskilled Labor by Terry McDonald and She's the Man by Lu Bango) relate tales of first encounters and finding one's place in the world. Although some of his phrasings aren't readily understood, Parsons writes with an honesty and understanding of some basic human frailties ("I take it without thinking, sometimes it's without thanks").