Chris Young, "Hangin' On"
A bland hook elevated only slightly by Young's vocal proficiency. The lyrics don't say a whole lot, and the production even less. Little more than fluff by an artist capable of more, but who has rarely shown so in recent years.
Grade: C
A bland hook elevated only slightly by Young's vocal proficiency. The lyrics don't say a whole lot, and the production even less. Little more than fluff by an artist capable of more, but who has rarely shown so in recent years.
Grade: C
Jason Aldean feat. Miranda Lambert, "Drowns the Whiskey"
A tighter production would have elevated it further, but as it stands this is Aldean's strongest single in a long time. Rarely has he sounded so poised and strong behind the mic, and singing a good song at that. Lambert, though unfortunately not all that prominent, does add a level of nuance to the record.
Grade: A-
A tighter production would have elevated it further, but as it stands this is Aldean's strongest single in a long time. Rarely has he sounded so poised and strong behind the mic, and singing a good song at that. Lambert, though unfortunately not all that prominent, does add a level of nuance to the record.
Grade: A-
Kane Brown, "Lose It"
Mindless, pointless nothingness, hammered home by a sloppy production and detached performance. Despite their obvious pop tendencies, Brown's last two hits demonstrated a degree of talent. This just has nothing going for it.
Grade: D
Mindless, pointless nothingness, hammered home by a sloppy production and detached performance. Despite their obvious pop tendencies, Brown's last two hits demonstrated a degree of talent. This just has nothing going for it.
Grade: D
Chris Stapleton, "Millionaire"
A mature take on love, elevated by an outstanding vocal and sparse acoustic production. His performance is, appropriately, given room to breathe. As per usual, Stapleton proves that oftentimes, less is more.
Grade: A-
A mature take on love, elevated by an outstanding vocal and sparse acoustic production. His performance is, appropriately, given room to breathe. As per usual, Stapleton proves that oftentimes, less is more.
Grade: A-
Danielle Bradbery feat. Thomas Rhett, "Goodbye Summer"
A pair of young talents who play nicely off of each other. Bradbery allows desperation and melancholy to shine through, while demonstrating the extent of her technical strengths. Perhaps a little polished, but that's a minor knock against a wholly solid piece of work that should be Bradbery's breakout hit.
Grade: B+
Author: Markus Meyer
A pair of young talents who play nicely off of each other. Bradbery allows desperation and melancholy to shine through, while demonstrating the extent of her technical strengths. Perhaps a little polished, but that's a minor knock against a wholly solid piece of work that should be Bradbery's breakout hit.
Grade: B+
Author: Markus Meyer
