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Single Review: Chris Lane - "Fix"

10/30/2015

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Mainstream country music certainly has no shortage of trend chasers. In 2013 and early 2014, you were pretty much guaranteed to hear songs about pickup trucks, alcohol, and hot girls (not that we don’t still now, but it was extremely more prevalent and noticeable then).  In the latter half of 2014, there was a noticeable abundance of Pop starting to infiltrate the mainstream country airwaves to the point where you couldn’t even hear a token country instrument. Of course, we had acts who latched onto either one or both of those trends. Some males have even switched trends, gradually moving on from one trend to the next (we call this evolution, right Thomas Rhett?).

One of these acts who has done so is Chris Lane. Chris is an act who is signed to Big Loud Mountain Records. His debut single, “Broken Windshield View” was an absolute train wreck of a song, and was a 100% pure bro-country song complete with a loud production, obnoxious lyrics, and an obnoxious vocal performance. Thankfully, it tanked. I really want to leave his new single alone, mostly because I was hoping to never have to hear this thing ever. Well it looks like I won’t be able to avoid it, as according to some sources, this is already shaping up to be the next On The Verge pick after Granger Smith’s bro “Backroad Song”. I mostly hate this program, save for the lone exception of Cam’s “Burning House”. Well, I definitely will hate it a whole lot more if Chris’s next single is the next pick, because this is even worse than “Broken Windshield View”.

Remember how I said there were males who switched from one trend to the next? Well you better believe it’s in full force here. “Fix” is a total Pop song. There’s no arguing it. And no, don’t give me shit about the banjo that plucks faintly in the background, that doesn’t do a damn thing to add a country element to this song. A lot of people will argue that Sam Hunt is lyrically a country artist, and I while I highly disagree with this statement, I at least understand where they’re coming from with the argument. “Fix” however, is not something you could call a country song, in fact, even as a Pop song, this is an absolute disaster (and that’s being nice!).

The song not only combines Country’s trend of masquerading Pop songs as Country, but also goes further with what seems to be the new lyrical trend of comparing love to a drug. Tyler Farr’s, “Withdrawals”, Zac Brown Band’s “Beautiful Drug” and Brett Eldredge’s “Drunk On Your Love” all compare the effects of a woman’s sexiness to the effects of either alcohol or drugs. But wait! This song is TOTALLY different! This time, the MALE is the drug! How clever Chris! Yeah, no. Screw that. Like I said, the song talks about a woman who apparently is in need of love, and apparently Chris can be the drug (the “fix”) she needs. What’s even worse is the arrogance that accompanies the lyrics. Take a look here:

I make you feel invincible, I’m more than recreational, I’m what you need

And on top of that, the girl in the song apparently already has someone who she is already seeing. But hey! Screw him! Chris is who you need! He even says so himself. There’s apparently nothing wrong with the relationship but screw love! Sex is better! Here are the lyrics to prove my point:

​Hey girl, he don’t get you then never, then just leave

This goes even more full on arrogant than Old Dominion’s “Break Up With Him”. Sure, maybe there’s something wrong with the relationship, but we only hear it Chris, not the woman, so in this sense, I’m led to believe that Chris is only after one thing.

All in all, this song is the perfect representation of what mainstream country is falling to. There’s nothing country about this whatsoever, and there’s nothing even original or redeemable about it whatsoever either. There’s still time before the next On The Verge pick, so maybe I’m wrong. I pray to God I am, because if this song hits the mainstream airwaves, it’ll truly show why mainstream country music needs a major “fix."

Grade: F
Listen: 
“Fix” (Note: Must have an AllAccess account to listen, but I highly recommend skipping this)

Author: Zackary Kephart

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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

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    Markus Meyer
    A country music fan from B.C., Canada. You can find his work at theshotgunseat.com. You can follow Markus on twitter at @Markus_Meyer27.

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    Chris Baggs
    A country music and Buffalo Sabres fan from Buffalo.

    Zackary Kephart
    A country music fan from Buffalo, New York. 
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