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3 Up, 3 Down

10/14/2015

3 Comments

 
Credit to farcethemusic.com for the format.
3 Up
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Brantley Gilbert - "Stone Cold Sober"

Gilbert backs up the excellent "One Hell of an Amen" with another brilliant track. "Stone Cold Sober" is a well written, heartfelt lyrical composition anchored by an impassioned performance and a strong melody. The vocals get a bit rough at times and the production goes a bit over the top in places, but overall don't detract from the listening experience. Another winner from an artist that has taken another step towards shedding his bro-country reputation.

​Grade: A
​
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Dan + Shay - "Nothin' Like You"

Listen, this record is nothing spectacular. The lyrics are exceptionally lightweight and nothing about the production stands out as particularly country, but the light guitars and the pleasant melody, along with the strong vocal performance, elevate it to above average. As far as fluff goes, "Nothin' Like You" isn't too bad.

Grade: B
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Blackjack Billy - "Night Light"

Ladies, gentlemen, and people that identify as other genders, I present to you, the first halfway decent thing Blackjack Billy has ever done. "Night Light" is a decently written pop-country tune with a strong melody and a respectable vocal performance. The production is fairly vanilla and unexciting, but that aside, this is a solid record from a previously much-maligned band.

​Grade: B
3 Down
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Lady Antebellum - "Long Stretch of Love"

After the dreadful "Freestyle" failed to make much of an impact on the charts, Lady Antebellum released "Long Stretch of Love", and while an improvement, still isn't overly impressive. The production and melody, while passable, feel relatively lifeless, while the lyrics read as merely 'OK'. What kills the record is Hillary and Charles' unenthusiastic, disconnected performance, a somewhat rare occurrence for the pair. Dissapointing, considering it could have been a decent single with a more commanding vocal.

Grade: D+
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Scotty McCreery - "Southern Belle"

There's really nothing to say here. "Southern Belle" is a song about an attractive girl from the South, with no depth or intricate details to make it even a halfway passable composition, while the melody and production do little to elevate it. McCreery has one of the genres strongest male voices, and this record is just a waste of those talents.

Grade: D
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The Band Perry - "Live Forever"

"Live Forever" is a pop song. Not pop tinged country. Not country tinged pop. It is pop. It's not a bad pop record, with Kimberly's naturally strong vocal and the pleasant melody, but this is 100% not a country song, and will be graded as such. They had a good thing going with their rootsy pop-country style, and changing has yielded disastrous results so far, both on the quality and commercial fronts.

Grade: F

By Markus Meyer
3 Comments
Nadia Lockheart
10/20/2015 12:21:16 pm

Eh, I find myself in significant disagreement here.

"Stone Cold Sober" just didn't do anything for me. It's obviously better than the lead two singles and "Kick It In The Sticks", but it's leagues off from "My Faith In You", "That Was Us" and "I'm Gone" from his current album in quality as well as cuts like "Indiana's Angel" and "Saving Amy" from earlier releases that were also overshadowed by his chicken-fried metal nonsense and douche image.

My first of two main issues with "Stone Cold Sober" boils down to the production. It's just way too loud and cluttered much like Tyler Farr's short-lived "Withdrawals" was. The second is the framing of the song's lyrics. While presented as an earnest please-take-me-back power ballad, there's nothing to suggest here that the narrator has actually matured. He's already making excuses in the opening verse and by the second verse is dismissing the reason she at least temporarily split with him to begin with to having too much to drink and doing stupid things. Much like A Thousand Horse's also-current single "(This Ain't No) Drunk Dial", this just rubs off the wrong way to me.

I'd have to give "Stone Cold Sober" a C.

*

I will agree with you that "Nothin' Like You" is melodically solid and the vocals are also appealing.

However, I can't justify this getting that high of a grade as a country song much like you refused to do for "Live Forever". By virtue of the fact it is being marketed as a country single, I can't award this any higher than a C in the context of country reviews, and even that would be generous I think. But on its own, as a pop song, a B sounds about right.

*

Never thought I'd live to see the day Blackjack Billy turned out a semi-decent at least offering. I agree the production does little for me much like "Nothin' Like You" in the context of country music, but on its own merits I'm inclined to agree with your review.

*

I honestly didn't really mind "Long Stretch of Love".

It's definitely not a country song musically and sonically, but beyond that I actually kind of like this. The production is admittedly a bit clunky and the mixing overcompressed, and Charles Kelley's vocals are kind of buried in the mix here. But I do enjoy hearing more energy from Hillary Scott, and I find myself tapping my toes to the stomp of the chorus and appreciate that they turn up the urgency between the verses. It fits the general theme of the song: reconciliation in a relationship and the determination to make things work.

I'm feeling a B- for "Long Stretch of Love" on its own merit, though it's definitely not a country song.

*

I'm most in agreement with the final two tracks and their verdicts.

The only thing "Southern Belle" has going for it is that it actually has country instrumentation. But this proves futile when it is backed with asinine laundry list/bro-country hybrid lyrics and an annoying titular hook ("Ain't nothin' rang like a Southern belle!"). WHAT?!!! You do realize "rang" is past tense, right? That's terrible grammar right there. It doesn't help matters that McCreery's vocal sounds contrived in this instance.

As for "Live Forever", I honestly don't mind it as a straight-up pop song. I do appreciate that the lyrics in the verses are deceptively darker and, when also considering the sentimental (if not semi-melancholic) vibe leading up to the chorus, it offers the song some much-needed urgency that fits the determination of the title. As a pop song, I'd honestly be generous to the point of giving it a B- or so.

However, the fact remains that this is being marketed to country radio. So it deserves to flunk by that realization alone.

Reply
Lorenzo
10/20/2015 04:39:24 pm

I mostly agree on these ratings but in my opinion Stone Cold Sober gets a C. sonically it's the same annoying Gilbert signature rock sound and there are stupid electronic beats all over the place. also, the lyrics are good and trying to bring some quality, but they're not excellent lyrics. good, not great. Also, the tempo should've been slowed down because it is too upbeat for a heartbreak song like this. I'm not buying it.

Reply
trebz link
11/23/2015 01:40:01 pm

^^
Are you Lorenzo Friesen by any chance?

@Zack:
You're doing great!

Reply



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