In these days of manufactured celebrity, it takes a lot to stand out from the cookie-cutter crowd. It takes someone with real talent, guts, charisma, and maybe a wardrobe that won’t earn him a GQ spread anytime soon. Someone, that is, like Chris Sligh. Problem is, there isn’t anyone “like Chris Sligh” except for Chris Sligh. And that, of course, is the point. If you watched him rock it and sock it back to American Idol on Season 6, or riff with Jay Leno and Little Richard on The Tonight Show, you know that you will never, ever forget him.

For Chris Sligh is a genuine original, blessed with a golden voice, a style of songwriting that communicates even as it defies the commercial “rules,” and a world view that encompasses edgy humor, rebelliousness, and rocksolid faith.

All these elements breathe life into every moment of his new album, Running Back to You. From the soaring resonance of “In a Moment” to the sly rhyming of “Love is Raining Down,” Sligh manages to be funny, entertaining, provocative, inspirational, and maybe a little cheeky, all at the same time. His music is rich in character; his character overflows with music. His reverence is no less real for being at times irreverent.

And more amazing than this is the fact that, for all the ground he’s covered so far, this unique artist is only just starting to tap into what he has to offer to the world.