Selected as the latest On the Verge pick, Tucker Beathard has gotten a major kickstart for his debut single, "Rock On". As it stands right now, the single appears to be trudging its way through the clogged 20's of the airplay chart, and isn't selling particularly well. It may not be the breakout smash Tucker was hoping for, but in terms of quality, how does "Rock On" do? Well... It does OK.
Now, first of all, this is not an amazing record. It has flaws, and some major ones at that. The one that stands in particular is Beathard's vocals which are, to put it lightly, rough around the edges, particularly when he has to shout over the bombastic production, which leads me into my next point. The production during the chorus is loud. It's bombastic, it's over-the-top, and it's obnoxious. It doesn't work, and really drags down the single.
Of course, "Rock On" does have it's good points. The melody is fairly strong, and relatively engaging. The lyricism is strong, specifically the title hook, as it hits the melancholic sweet spot between regret and moving on. It's rather well-written, which is a pleasant surprise from a new, male artist. Additionally, as rough as the technical vocal abilities are on this track, the performance is wholly believable, and Beathard actually does a superb job in selling the story.
"Rock On" is a very up-and-down listening experience, but one that doesn't spark anger or hatred in any way. Is it a masterpiece, or a career-defining single? No, far from it, but it's hardly the worst we've seen. At its worst, "Rock On" can be described as aggressively mediocre, but at bets is nothing more than listenable radio-fluff. There's been worse, but there's certainly been better as well.
Grade: C+
Listen: "Rock On"
Now, first of all, this is not an amazing record. It has flaws, and some major ones at that. The one that stands in particular is Beathard's vocals which are, to put it lightly, rough around the edges, particularly when he has to shout over the bombastic production, which leads me into my next point. The production during the chorus is loud. It's bombastic, it's over-the-top, and it's obnoxious. It doesn't work, and really drags down the single.
Of course, "Rock On" does have it's good points. The melody is fairly strong, and relatively engaging. The lyricism is strong, specifically the title hook, as it hits the melancholic sweet spot between regret and moving on. It's rather well-written, which is a pleasant surprise from a new, male artist. Additionally, as rough as the technical vocal abilities are on this track, the performance is wholly believable, and Beathard actually does a superb job in selling the story.
"Rock On" is a very up-and-down listening experience, but one that doesn't spark anger or hatred in any way. Is it a masterpiece, or a career-defining single? No, far from it, but it's hardly the worst we've seen. At its worst, "Rock On" can be described as aggressively mediocre, but at bets is nothing more than listenable radio-fluff. There's been worse, but there's certainly been better as well.
Grade: C+
Listen: "Rock On"
