For years, Z104.5 The Edge has been a vocal proponent of local music. Sunday night's "Homegroan" show has been airing for over a decade now and has expanded from one hour to two, providing even more airtime for local and regional artists and has even been supplemented with "Locals at 11" spotlighting one local song and artist with DJ Demko every weekday morning at 11am. If you're online, you can also catch nothing but local music at TulsaOriginalMusic.com, the internet radio station that The Edge established as an online source of nothing but local music 24 hours a day.

Last year, The Edge stepped up its game and brought back an old concept with the 2009 Homegroan CD, following a few years of hiatus. By reestablishing the project with a baker's dozen of quality local tunes, including a couple excellent singles, last year's project was not only a return to form, but also a big enough success to issue a sequel.

Instead of riding on the coattails of last year's accomplishments, however, The Edge raised the bar for itself by outdoing last year's sampler in nearly every aspect: from the songs to production, packaging and artwork, delivering the best compilation to date with the 2010 Homegroan CD.

Right out of the gate, the 2010 edition is a more impressive package with a striking cover design that replaces last year's Rock Band/Guitar Hero motif with a far more appropriate silhouette of the Cain's Ballroom on the front and the Admiral Twin on the back. A nod has to go out to Justin Tascier, who not only won $500 in the cover design contest, but managed to really capture an image that reflects Tulsa's character.

A cool cover is all for naught, however, if the product doesn't deliver and fortunately, The Edge managed to outdo last year's project in that aspect as well. Though last year's compilation was strong, this year's collection of songs may be the most well balanced to date, managing to represent all corners of our original, live music scene from indie and commercial rock to pop and hard rock.

The disc opens strong with the brand new RadioRadio track "Love/Sex/Soul." Everything we've come to love and expect from RadioRadio is encapsulated here: it's got a driving beat, a soaring chorus and a hook that sticks in your head. The production is a touch more raw than I'm used to with this band, but it also captures that band's energy and serves as a preview of what's yet to come from one of Tulsa's best pop/rock acts, making it an appropriate opening track as well as one of the strongest cuts on the compilation.

The big hooks continue with FM Pilots' "Chasing," balancing indie rock aesthetic and an undeniable pop sensibility. FM Pilots is admittedly one of the acts I'm least familiar with, but after only a few spins I was hooked and will be keeping an eye out for more from these guys in the near future.

Commercial rock is well represented here with Morgan Ganem's latest project, Sownds, and OKC based Siva Addiction. While Sownds' "The Greatest Goodbye" channels Nickelback and Daughtry with big, emotive choruses, Siva Addiction's "One Night Rodeo" follows a more hard-rock direction that compares favorably with Cavo, Rev Theory and Hailstorm.

Motive For Movement proceeds to prove itself as one of our most promising indie rock acts with the layered and moody "Of Priests and Presidents" while The Nerve Pills package up nervous energy with a dance oriented punch on "Voices", another big surprise on the disc.

Elsewhere, The Del Toros and Popular Culture represent out young indie rock bands, although "Does It Freak You Out" shows Popular Culture is just as versed in classic Minneapolis bands like The Replacements, Husker Du, Bash and Pop and early Soul Asylum.

Tulsa's hard rock and metal scene is represented as well with tracks by Bait and The Dawn Armada, and Eric and the Adams' "Keeper of the Secret" is a can't miss for the pop/rock crowd. Perhaps the secret weapon of this disc, however, is OKC based The Pretty Black Chains and while "Amanda" may not grab you as immediately as "Love/Sex/Soul" or "Chasing", the band emotes indie rock cool with an attitude, making it one of the bands I'll most look forward to seeing transition into the Tulsa market.

The 2010 Homegroan CD just arrived back form production last week and The Edge previewed each song on air Thursday, Oct. 28, then started distributing the CDs early this week. Of course, the only way to get your copy is to listen to Z104.5, The Edge and go to one of the on air remotes at either select Kum and Go locations or the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, both of which are co-sponsors of the project.

There will only be 10 remote drops with 100 CDs to be distributed at each event, with a limited run of only 1,000 CD's making this a valuable must-have for local music fans. Although three remotes have already passed, you can try and catch up with The Edge to get your copy at Kum and Go locations on Tuesday, November 9 (1000 E. Kenosha in Broken Arrow from 5-7pm); Saturday, Nov. 13 (501 S Elm in Jenks from 11am-1p); Friday, Nov. 19 (1050 E Albany in Broken Arrow from 4-6pm) or The Hard Rock Casino on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 11-12; Sunday, Nov. 21 or Wednesday, Nov. 24. All Hard Rock remotes will be from 5-7pm except Nov. 21, which will be a 4-6pm event.

After a successful return from hiatus last year, this year's 2010 Homegroan CD reestablishes it as a project to look forward to in the future as a showcase for Tulsa's most promising local acts. In turn, it successfully solidifies The Edge's reputation as one of local music's biggest supporters. Make sure to track down a remote and get your copy of the CD before they are gone.