Singer Ryan Cabrera celebrated his 27th birthday in Las Vegas, hosting a pre-party at his Los Angeles home the night before, reports Perez Hilton.

Beforehand, Cabrera went to each of his neighbours to warn them about the party, offering to put them up in a hotel for the night.

Cabrera, who dated Ashlee Simpson, has been trying to sell the house for almost a year, reportedly due to money troubles.

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One word comes to mind when you look at Ryan Cabrera?s new album, You Stand Watching: pretty. There is no mistaking who Cabrera?s follow-up record to last year?s Take It All Away is targeted towards ? girls, especially those who can?t resist the young blond singer-songwriter?s pretty boy looks. Those baby blues and handsome features are packaged neatly on the CD cover, where Cabrera poses like a perfect prom date.

Sadly, great pictures are about all you?re going to get out of this album. Sophomore albums are generally considered the make-it-or-break-it release for artists, and Cabrera has broken it. You Stand Watching was released only a year after his major label debut, and it?s obvious. The songs are weak and repetitive. Track after track, Cabrera whines torturously about how he so desperately needs a girl. Maybe you ? yes you! ? could be the one!

Musically, Cabrera is a decent songwriter. He co-wrote every song on the record and none are glaringly bad. Take It All Away is proof that he can write pop songs that stick, even if they are a little cheesy. On You Stand Watching, however, the cheese has remained but the tunes are easily forgotten, lacking in variety. The whole album sounds monotonously similar and makes you wish Cabrera would just get over it already.

There are a few standouts however, that showcase Cabrera?s smooth vocals and ability to come up with great hooks on his acoustic guitar. The first single off the album, ?Shine On,? is one example while ?From The Start? is a strong, upbeat opener for the record. ?Photo? is also destined to be a pop hit, and will probably be a Valentine?s Day favourite for at least a couple of years.

But the rest of the album, reminiscent of a boy band record released in the ?90s, goes by in a blur.

2*
Release Date: September 20, 2005
Atlantic/Wea

1. From The Start
2. Hit Me With Your Light
3. Shine On
4. Find Your Way
5. Photo
6. Our Story
7. Fall Baby Fall
8. Last Night
9. Walking On Water
10. With You Gone
11. It’s You

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Personal relationships and long tours gave Ryan Cabrera a lot to think about.

Cabrera, whose former relationship with pop-star icon Ashlee Simpson sparked massive media attention, says his music now reflects a “grown up” feel.

“You just have to write the song, however it comes out,” Cabrera tells andPOP, speaking about his upcoming album. “With every record, you grow some more.”

The album, “You Stand Watching,” is the second major label release for the Dallas, Texas, native. Set for release on September 20, the album includes the single, “Shine On.”

As for girlfriends, Cabrera says he’s enjoying being single for the meanwhile.

“Being gone for a long time is difficult for any relationship. Plus, I’m still best friends with Ashlee,” says Cabrera.

His album, which was self-produced last June, is just one project Cabrera has to worry about. He is also involved in a new MTV dating show, “Score.” Contestants will have to win their dates by creating and performing original songs. Of course, these new musicians will be carefully guided by Cabrera, helping them with lyrics and song arrangement.

The show, scheduled to premiere on November 14, consumed most of his time this summer; the album taking up the rest.

Cabrera admits that he had struggled to successfully secure a job in the music world before his major label debut, “Take It All Away,” was released last summer.

“It took about five years to get things going, but they gradually got bigger, which is really exciting.”

After being on tour for four of those five years, he describes the atmosphere of performing live as a relaxed one.

“The best feeling is the excitement from the crowd, like hanging out with a bunch of friends. It’s my goal to make everybody feel that way.”

Ryan picked up a guitar in his teenage years and hasn’t put one down since.

He says he tries to make music that will appeal to all age groups. His message to everyone is simple and important.

“Don’t listen to negativity. Instead, focus on doing something because you love to do it.”

Love might be the most prominent theme of all in “You Stand Watching,” as a lot of songs speak about surviving in the dating world.

How romantic.

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2. CD Review: Ryan Cabrera – You Stand Watching
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Ryan Cabrera is an unlikely member of The Simpsons — that’s the actual Simpson family, not the cartoon show.

The singer-songwriter shared the same vocal coach in Dallas as singer/reality show star Jessica Simpson. The coach sent Joe Simpson, Jessica’s manager and father, Cabrera’s demo tape. Joe was so impressed that he flew to Dallas, saw Cabrera play, and signed on as his manager that night after the show.

Now with his major label debut coming out at the end of the summer, Cabrera is still with Joe, opening for Jessica on her arena tour, and dating her sister Ashlee (they’re on-again, after being on-again-off-again).

Cabrera even moved in with the family for eight months when he moved out to Los Angeles.

“I was kind of like the son that they never wanted,” he tells andPOP, on the line from Connecticut.

With Joe as his manager, they first recorded a proper demo. Cabrera previously had an independent album released accompanied just by his guitar, but needed some material backed by a full band. When the demo was finished, they flew to New York and he played in front of label presidents and A&R reps for four months. Eventually, he was signed to Atlantic Records.

“Take it All Away,” scheduled for release on August 17, was recorded in June of 2003, and was produced by Goo Goo Dolls frontman Johnny Rzeznik.

“It’s a crazy business,” says Cabrera. “I recorded it when I was 20 years old and it will be out when I am 22.”

Although his album has been finished for over a year, he was never afraid that it would be shelved.

“As the artist, I wanted to get my music out there. The guy who signed me, Evan Lamberg, is really smart. I’m starting to understand why he wanted to wait.”

Instead of releasing a single to see how audiences receive it, Atlantic decided to have him tour to build up his fan base. He played at colleges and opened for Jewel. “That way, if radio isn’t with you, and if your video isn’t being played, you still could be going on and gaining fans. It’s the grassroots singer-songwriter king of way of doing it,” he says. “We were in no rush to put it out because it will happen when it’s right.”

And despite the delay, the songs, he says, still represent him today.

“Hopefully you don’t write a song that is only good for that point in time. A lot of people put a song on the radio and it’s gone forever after six months. I love Rzeznik and to Goo Goo Dolls, that you’ll hear his songs all the time. Hopefully I wrote music that’s kind of like that.”

Cabrera’s decision to work with Rzeznik was a no-brainer; he wanted to work with an artist who would ‘get’ his approach, rather than a producer, who is most concerned with making sure-hits. The only problem was getting Rzeznik to work with an unknown artist, which didn’t take much persuading. He heard Cabrera’s demo tape and that was all the convincing needed.

“I went to his house and he understood what I wanted to do. John didn’t want to change my sound at all. He wanted to take it to the next level. It was awesome working with John because he’s another artist and he understood this record from an artist’s point-of-view instead of from a producer dude’s.”

When they first started writing together, Cabrera accidentally almost ended his working relationship with “neat freak” Rzeznik.

“I was really nervous just to be [in his house]. I was all shaky. The second day I was sitting in the living room. He has this huge oversized thousand-fifty-hundred-billion thread count rug, and I just turned and knocked over a full bottle of red wine right in the middle of his rug. I was like, ‘umm, OK, I’ll be leaving now never expecting to hear from you again.’ I tried to clean it up the best I could.

“Then my manager Joe comes over two weeks later and he drops his Diet Coke almost on the same spot.”

Cabrera will begin a solo tour after wrapping up the Jessica tour in July.

“As long as I keep getting to play, I don’t care if it’s huge arenas or clubs.”

A duet with his girlfriend Ashlee is doubtful, with their busy schedules and different styles of music. Cabrera is just happy to be part of the family.

Check out Ryan Cabrera’s Media Player and watch the music video for “On the Way Down.” Visit Ryan on the web at ryancabrera.com.