"Wanted" Hunter Hayes

Is Hunter Hayes country music's answer to Justin Bieber? That question has dogged the 21-year-old singer-songwriter in the press ever since his rise to prominence earlier this year, and it's not hard to see why: Like the Biebs, Hayes is a boyishly cute blond who makes young girls swoon with sweet love songs, including his #1 country hit "Wanted." The similarities, however, end there. "Wanted," which is currently climbing pop radio, is a tenderly affectionate ballad featuring Hayes on double-duty as impassioned vocalist and equally impassioned pianist. It's a far cry from the swaggy dubstep creations of Bieber's recent efforts, which don't find even a fraction of Hayes' bare intimacy—though at least none of his singles have been this sleep-inducingly bland. B-