Foreward: I can’t be rocking hard all the time and since I have a soft spot for cute guys who play sensitive acoustic pop rock, here is my ode to the genre. I hope you enjoy!

Twenty-year-old California native Tyler Hilton is already feeling the effects of his impending fame. And, it is not because he shares any relation to that of a more famous Hilton. In other words they’re not related and no sex tape, at least not yet.

The acoustic guitar-wielding troubadour already finds his name in the press, thanks to his charming good looks and an already failed celebrity romance with actress Jennifer Love Hewitt. “I’m not dating her anymore. It just didn’t work out ‘cause I’m on the road a lot. But she’s a really sweet girl,” said Hilton.

Now, let’s get to the more important stuff, his music. His debut album, “The Tracks of…”, hits the shelves on June 15 and much like his ex-girl is also sweet. The melodies make you want to hum along and the lyrics are the kind that would make any 15-year-old girl sob. Watch out John Mayer, you’re little brother’s all grown up and plans to make a move on your honey. (And, as we’ve seen he already has.)

Okay, no more Love references, I promise. None the less, Hilton seems ready for those John Mayer comparisons. And, in a way it is inevitable based on the kinds of pop they both produce: easy on the ears, completely non threatening, and very melodic. Hilton said, “It’s weird now because when people describe music they want to latch onto something. And if it wasn’t John Mayer then it’d be I’m Jason Mrazy. But, John and I do have a lot in common; we are both tall and play acoustic guitar.”

Right now though, Hilton is more focused on touring than what people are comparing him to. His past tours include the Virgin College Mega Tour with Michelle Branch, Gavin DeGraw and Rooney. This summer he’ll be back on the road with Gary Jules. When asked if he has any juicy gossip about his tour mates he only has good things to say, “These kids are hilarious and a blast. Everyone is so nice. And it’s fun to be working, but at night time I’m just like ‘Where are we gonna party?’”

And, Hilton is always ready to joke around about the vices of rock’n’roll stardom: “In my tour bus alone we ship in heroine and cocaine and these green and black pills that are somewhere between uppers and downers. They make me do some crazy stuff. In the end, I just want to be a hero for rehab. Is that too mush to ask?”

When it comes down to it, for Hilton it is not just about the partying (or possibly even the lack thereof), it is about having people listen to the album and really feel something. He describes "The Tracks Of..." as, “On the most part very optimistic. I can’t seem to find that fun, cool, optimistic record out there, so that’s the mood. It’s gonna be released in the summer so it’s kind of like that 'remember when we made out to that song' album.”

He went on to say, “[My songs are about] travelling, women, and personal theories and outlooks. [But], it’s not a preachy thing. If it were then I’d test them more, but I’m just writing what I’m thinking.” And he writes about these kinds of growing experiences on songs like “Rolling Home,” one of Hilton’s favorite songs on the album. It was written about an European trip he took with his friend. “It best shows my memory of Europe. We were trying to live that blues life and that song is every color of the picture of that trip.”

But, like most 20-year-olds, Hilton takes some time to think about what he really wants to do with the rest of his life. Then after some deliberation and a dab of lunch he has a pretty good idea of where he wants his career to go. He said, “I want to finish my potato salad and then after this do more tours and the album comes out in June so…I don’t know, tour the rest of my life since it is what I’ve always wanted to do. I'm pretty sure I want to do this forever.”