Under the auspices of performing authentic music, you know, that it’s straight from the heart, bold, brave, daring — gasp! — soulful, even, Robert Francis, at the age of 21, has hit the national spotlight with an iTunes single of the week, “June Bug”: “That was when I loved you best / We were kids then / We shouldn’t think about rest,” he sings.

Thumping quarter-note kick drum sets the stage; reverberated guitars flicker with atmospherics; then Francis begins to howl a breathy verse. It’s actually quite good, but I can’t help to think that if I compared it to Ryan Adams (because it sounds insanely similar to “Cobwebs”) someone would shout, “No, it’s more Bruce Springsteen!” Or maybe they’d say it’s more Tom Petty. Or maybe Van Morrison. Does it even matter?

Sorry to say, that unlike his lyrics claim, Francis is still a kid, citing influences and sounding derivative throughout Before Nightfall, as he hits highlights from classic rockers like a good summer mix-tape: “I Like the Air” (Dire Straits), “Where You Come From” (The Doors), “Do What I Can” (Jeff Buckley). Still, in those few moments when Francis lets loose, a glimpse of how influence can turn into inspiration can be caught, such as on “Climb a Mountain,” where the singer jumps to a kooky falsetto, squealing like some sort of tortured eagle, or, er, something else equally as awesome. He sings, “I get high / I get holed / I tell you I ain’t old.” Here, it seems, there appears a divergent vision of the singer’s age: instead of sounding immature, his youth acts as springboard for unmitigated emotion. It’s these times when the sound works and Francis shows promise of ascending to the status of the greats he mimics. I just can’t help but worry that these plans will be thwarted when “Junebug” ends up on the same mix-tape as “Use Somebody” — and Kelly Clarkson inevitably covers it.