Pros: VOCALS, interesting music and dynamics, strong personality
Cons: A few weak places lyrically, a few "typical country" songs
The Bottom Line: With a modern country song and great voice, Chris Young will definitely be making a mark on the Country Music scene. Watch for him and check out this album!
zorrothepiking's Full Review: Chris Young by Chris Young
Chris Young was the 2006 Nashville Star winner. Although he spent time in the industry before this, the show really launched his career. He has since released this album, his self-titled debut. What he delivers is a solid rock-country album. What really strikes me about the album is the vocal maturity. Here's what I think:
The album kicks off with Beer or Gasoline, a solid but playful song. The band sounds a little too dark for my taste, but the vocals are clear and emotive. What grabs you is the lyrics. The premise of the song is that Young's truck ran out of gas, and after pushing it to a nearby gas station, he realizes his money will only allow him to get a gallon of gas or a 6-pack of beer. The humor of being unable to decide between beer and gas is obvious, and the band has a lot of fun with some interludes. One thing I was immediately struck by was the generous dynamics. Many debuts how timidity in how much the band is willing to mix things up. It keeps you interested (and laughing) throughout the entire song.
After this comes You're Gonna Love Me. Slower than some other songs on this album, it is nicely done. Again, this song has some interludes that allow the band to add some riffs, this time with a few electric guitars. The song exclaims:
So girl if you like a handful
Of fresh wild flowers
A back rub on a bad day
Talkin' for hours
I'm good company
Girl you're gonna love me
Nashville star has one week in which the artist is supposed to perform an original piece. The third track in the album, Drinking Me Lonely, was Young's choice, and it far exceeded any of the night's competition. Besides showing an impressive amount of lyrical maturity, it is at this point that you'll really start to notice the quality of Young's voice. Though full of country, you don't have any of that common nasal sound. Instead, you find a rich and liquid sound. He also is able to show off a bit of his falsetto, which is equally impressive. A beautiful song.
From here things get fun and just slighly "country-funky". White Lightening hit the Family Tree talks about a family reunion where someone spiked the lemonade. Things get a little out of hand, and much fun ensues. My favorite is the line that says she got "right up in his face and said your hold famn damily's nuts." And yes, that's spelled correctly. With another major shift, the album goes to Lay It On Me. Though still upbeat, this song goes back to a more traditional country sound but at about double speed, complete with a great fiddle. It's about being warned that this girl will break his heart, but just being so overwhelmed with her that he's willing to take the chance, despite a "Born to Break Hearts" tattoo.
Burn is one of my favorite songs. It has a lot of dynamics, with a solid and thumpin' verse and a rock-out chorus. This song lets Young have a lot of fun with the vocals, doing a great job keeping the energy up. Favorite lyrics include:
You hit a good lick, the stars light up
Your ship comes in, you make your mark
You catch a break, and you're sittin' on top
Yeah, cream of the crop
You're the stuff, you set the bar
You beat the odds and there you are
Spend most your life sittin' in the dark waitin' your turn
But every now and then you burn
Small Town Big Time is the most traditional song on the album, so I'm glad it sits a little further song. It is solid and fun, with the classic theme of just having fun out in the country, but it lacks some of the energy and personality that we get to see with earlier songs. This is followed by Flowers, which is the most solemn song on the album. It starts with a slow guitar and piano. We hear him singing to his girl, lamenting that he hadn't taken more time with her. We find out that he has gotten over alcohol abuse, and then learn that the girl to whom he is singing was killed in a car wreck after he refused to surrender the car keys after having too much to drink. You can really feel the pain in his voice. The hardest line to hear is "Look what it took for me to finally bring you flowers."
Center of My World brings these up again. This is sung to girl he loves, and he tells her how much he cares about her. The band is poppy and upbeat, and provies a relatively painless transition from Flowers. Solid, but a little boring. This, ironically, is followed with the quirky I'm Headed Your Way, Jose. The songs talks about how people are all worried about illegal aliens coming in from Mexico, while Young is saving up to head to Mexico for "hot women and cheap beer". He sings:
Up here we work our asses off just tryin' to get ahead
But you can't spend a dollar if you've worked yourself to death
From what I hear you way of life is an afternoon siesta
Then back to work for a little while for an all night long fiesta
Me, I'm headed your way
Well sounds to me like a pretty fair trade
The lyrics are less mature than some of the other songs, but it's a lot of fun. I think the funniest element is the brass in the background, giving the whole song a slight mariachi overtone. The album closes like it begins, with a solid rock-country song. Who's Gonna Take Me Home starts out with wondering how he's gonna get home, since he's had to much to drink at the bar and his friend left with his keys. Soon, though, he notices a group of ladies in the corner celebrating at a Bachelorette party. After buying them a couple rounds, "Who's gonna take me home?" takes on an entirely new meaning!
Overall
I really enjoyed the album. The vocals are really what make the album stand out, though it is also well produced and solid musically. I look forward to seeing how the lyrics evolve over the upcoming albums. This would be a solid 2nd or 3rd album, so that makes the fact that this is a debut even more impressive, including the fact that you're able to see a lot of personality come though. A great way to hit the big time.
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