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Single Review: Kenny Chesney - "Get Along"

4/11/2018

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Kenny Chesney really shouldn't be allowed to speak on the "real" issues, because everytime he does, he ends up saying nothing at all really. 

To be fair, Chesney has proved in the past that he can handle serious material with ease. Songs like "Don't Blink" and "There Goes My Life" are some of the finest Country songs of that decade. However, ever since 2016 or so, Chesney has felt this urge to "say something" with his music, beginning with "Noise" which wanted to tackle our obsession with technology. Instead, in an attempt to prove how we get lost in this metaphorical noise of nothingness, Chesney just made a loud, obnoxious tune that didn't say anything. 

This time around, Chesney still doesn't say anything profound, but at least it sounds nice ... I guess. In the age of identity politics dividing us from one another, Chesney wants to all "get along" on his new single. While he isn't obnoxiously accusatory like he was on "Rich and Miserable," Chesney still fails to really dig at the heart of his message. He presents two verses that offer nothing coherently relevant to his overall point. Verse one presents a man holding a bible and a bottle promoting happiness, but having an optimist attitude isn't going to make all the problems in the world go away. In the other verse, Chesney examines a model and ponders her backstory, but wait, is the point to make better life decisions, or is it about getting along? 

The chorus offers no resolution. It's the same list style that Chesney adopts on all of his more "serious" songs as of late, telling us to learn to dance, call our moms, and oh! Make sure you buy a boat too. That'll solve our grouchiness. Dude, even Chris freakin' Janson can't buy his own boat, so don't be preaching to me about what we need to do to love one another. Maybe my criticism of this track isn't helping the "love" necessarily, but I'm doing just as good of a job as you are. Don't get me wrong, I agree with the sentiment, but again, it presents the usual problem with Chesney's material as of late - it's scattershot. 

At least this time around the instrumental and production mix fits the song in a good way. The gentle, warm acoustics give off a friendly vibe, and the banjo that kicks in during the chorus definitely helps this song's catchiness. Even though Chesney can't make me care from his lyricism or his vocal delivery, this is at least a better part of the track. 

Overall though, it's an ultimate miss for Chesney. I have no problem with Chesney wanting the world to be a better place. As evidenced on this song as well as his latest single with David Lee Murphy however, he offers very little substance to his messages. I can tell you that we're all going to win the lottery tomorrow, but it doesn't mean it's going to happen. 

Grade: D+
Listen: "Get Along"

Author: ​Zackary Kephart

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Single Review: David Lee Murphey & Kenny Chesney - "Everything's Going To Be Alright"

1/12/2018

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You know, I thought Country music was based on three chords and the truth, not fabricated malarkey. 

Granted, even for as much as I'm willing to admit I'm a bigger Kenny Chesney fan than most writers, let's face it, he's no stranger to just lazily making troubles go away in his songs. Heck, his last album was pretty much based around that entire theme! This isn't Kenny's song though, it's David Lee Murphy's. Granted, older country artists trying their hands at staying relevant once more is nothing new (hello there Neal McCoy!), but considering that David Lee Murphy was only really "big" for the span of a year or two, this is shocking. 

Of course, even though he came up during the 90's, I'm not surprised to hear something that unfortunately fits in so well at country radio in 2018 with its lackluster production featuring pretty much one riff over a drum machine. To be honest, I'm just surprised that someone like David Lee Murphy is actually turning this into a hit. I know Kenny Chesney is on board, but still, he's the secondary artist here. I also thought I'd be able to skip talking about it when it hit the airwaves, but this thing is already in the top thirty! 

Granted, its lackluster production is only something boring about the track instead of something outright bad. There's no beating around the bush here though. The writing is sloppy, poorly framed, and just utterly lazy. It begins with a man drowning his sorrows at a bar until the bartender points to a sign on the wall saying "everything's going to be alright" to help cheer him up. For starters, that's horrible advice. Troubles don't just "go away" with friggin' fairy dust or something. You can tell yourself it will be alright, but the troubles are still there, and you have to face up to them. You can't rely on escapism. 

Really, relying too much on escapism is this song's biggest downfall. The only thing saving this song is that it's more boring than outright something to get angry about. Although I do have to wonder, why is this a duet? it focuses on one guy and a bartender throughout the entire song, and yet both singers here take turns playing the part of the guy drowning his sorrows. Granted, the bartender is a female in this song, and it's not like this song would exactly be "better" as a duet, but it at least would have made sense. Instead, it's confusing, lazy, and nothing I'm going to remember soon enough. Both singers are better than this. 

Side note: I wonder if these two have heard of Nihilist Arby's?

Grade: D+
Listen: "Everything's Going To Be Alright"


Author: Zackary Kephart

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Single Review: Kenny Chesney- "Save It For a Rainy Day"

8/4/2015

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After releasing one of the best singles of his career, the gorgeously understated chart-topper "Wild Child", Kenny Chesney is back with a new beachy single titled "Save It For a Rainy Day". However, much like some of Chesney's more famous hits such as "Beers In Mexico", the song has some actual meaning to it, as opposed to a meaningless anthem in the vein of the irritatingly bland "Summertime".

The song depicts a man getting over a breakup by simply having a good time with the people surrounding him, and claims that he'll put away the heartbreak and "save it for a rainy day". It's certainly not groundbreaking and frankly, it's fairly lightweight, but it goes deeper than "beach, girls, beer", which is a refreshing change of pace, as sad as that may be.

Sonically, "Save It For a Rainy Day" checks all the boxes, with a killer summertime arrangement that nails the airy, feel-good vibe they were going for (while featuring an organ nonetheless.) The technical songwriting and melody of the song are, of course excellent as well, making for an entertaining listening experience.

Five years from now, no one will be talking about this song, and it doesn't hold a candle to some of Kenny's stronger material, but as far as feel-good radio fluff goes, "Save It For a Rainy Day" passes with flying colors.

Grade: B
Listen: "Save It For a Rainy Day"

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5 Second Single Reviews

11/8/2014

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Brett Eldredge - "Mean to Me"

Sometimes it's good to keep things low key. The latest hit from CMA New Artist of the year won't knock your socks off with any one element, but it's the endearing simplicity that makes "Mean to Me" a pleasant listen,

Grade: B+


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Kenny Chesney - "Til It's Gone"

It's not nearly as good as it's predecessor "American Kids", but "Til It's Gone" is still unoffensive, well executed radio fodder. The melody's a bit clunky, but this is still a very listenable effort.

Grade: B-


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Lady Antebellum - "Freestyle"

After delivering an excellent album like Golden last year, their newest album, 747, is a huge disappointment. It's clear they felt Golden wasn't commercially successful enough, so they threw together an album full of middle of the road, radio friendly material. Their new single "Freestyle" is a good example of what kind of song makes up the album. It doesn't feel like any effort was put into the creation of the song, from a lyrical and vocal standpoint, and ends up feeling half-a**ed and sloppy.

                                                  Grade: D+

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Kristian Bush - "Trailer Hitch"

The lesser known male half of Sugarland has delivered a single that encapsulates everything that made Sugarland so enjoyable. Charisma, charm, and a whole lot of fun without sacrificing lyrical integrity. I'm unsure of how much further it's going to get on the airplay chart, but if Bush's debut project is as good as his debut single, I will most certainly be picking it up.

Grade: A-


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Scotty McCreery - "Feelin' It"

There's nothing particularly bad about "Feelin' It". It is what it is, a feel good summer song, but it still doesn't catch my interest in any way. I'll give it points for capturing the escapism feel melodically, but this is still only mildly enjoyable at best.

Grade: C

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Summer Single Round-Up

6/22/2013

2 Comments

 
With summer just around the corner, I decided we should like at some fun, summery tunes that have been released recently. (Sorry for no full length reviews lately. Been busy and we cover more ground this way).

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Zac Brown Band- "Jump Right In"

Fun, catchy and infectious. ZBB remains among the top acts for summer singles. And bongos. You really can't go wrong with bongos.

Grade: B+

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Jason Blaine- "Rock It Country Girl"

Pretty much "Country Girl (Shake It For Me)" minus the ultra catchy chorus which made the song memorable. Dissapointing coming from an artist who is usually so consistent.

Grade: C


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Randy Houser- "Runnin' Outta Moonlight"

There are some vocalists who can make the most boring of material sound better than it actually is. Randy Houser is among them. Another backwoods love scene, but that voice.....

Grade: B

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Jon Pardi- "Up All Night"

If there's one thing Pardi has proved thus far, it's that he can inject personality into 'meh' material, even if he's not the strongest of vocalists.
If he could add personality to quality material, he has the potential to be very good artist for years to come.

Grade: B-

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Florida Georgia Line (feat. Nelly)- "Cruise" [Remix]

Still catchy, and Nelly doesn't ruin it, but it's far too polished which takes away some of the magic of the original.

Grade: C+

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Kenny Chesney- "When I See This Bar"

Nice groove. One of his more stripped down singles. But this beach act was old a LONG time ago.

Grade: C

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Dallas Smith- "Nothing But Summer"

His rock roots are showing but vivid imagery and solid performance makes it shine through.

Grade: B

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Blake Shelton (feat. Pistol Annies and Friends)- "Boys 'Round Here"

Good instrumentation, stupid lyrics, goofy performance, cliched, I don't know.

Grade: ?

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Thompson Square- "Everything I Shouldn't Be Thinking About"

Cute, fun and flirty. I hope they put more depth into their songs soon, but for now I'll keep enoying their pleasant fluff.

Grade: B

2 Comments

ACM Award Nominees+Predictions

2/20/2013

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Entertainer

Should win:

Jason Aldean- MM
Blake Shelton
Miranda Lambert- GP
Luke Bryan
Taylor Swift


Will win:

Jason Aldean
Blake Shelton- GP
Miranda Lambert
Luke Bryan
Taylor Swift- MM

Markus:
Meh, went with Aldean because he released "Fly Over States". Swift will win due to fan-voting. 

Gator: Just because, despite her bad year, Miranda is still my favorite. Blake will because he just won't stop it seems.

Male Vocalist

Should win:

Luke Bryan
Jason Aldean
Eric Church- MM, GP
Toby Keith
Blake Shelton


Will win:

Luke Bryan
Jason Aldean
Eric Church- GP
Toby Keith
Blake Shelton- MM

Markus:
Church has released the best music, but I wouldn't bet against Shelton. I like the Toby Keith nom.

Gator: I agree Church has the best music but I think he will win because the ACM's can be pretty adventurous


Female Vocalist

Should win:

Taylor Swift
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Carrie Underwood- MM, GP
Kacey Musgraves


Will win:

Taylor Swift
Miranda Lambert- MM
Martina McBride
Carrie Underwood- GP
Kacey Musgraves


Markus: Why is McBride even nominated? Anyways, I'm not an Underwood fan, but she has released some of the best music of her career, along with a great album. Too bad I can't see Lambert losing.

Gator: Carrie by far has the best vocals in the category and with her great commercial and critical year I think its hers to lose.


Duo

Should win:

Florida Georgia Line
Big & Rich
Thompson Square- MM
Sugarland
Love and Theft


Will win:

Florida Georgia Line- MM, GP
Big & Rich
Thompson Square
Sugarland
Love and Theft


Markus: TS has released "Glass" and "If I Didn't Have You". Two excellent singles. But FGL has dat "Cruise" momentum.

Gator: I don't think any should win and that they should combine this category with group but i suppose it will go to Florida-Georgia Line


Group

Should win:

Eli Young Band
Lady Antebellum
The Band Perry
Little Big Town- GP
Zac Brown Band- MM


Will win:

Eli Young Band
Lady Antebellum
The Band Perry
Little Big Town- MM, GP
Zac Brown Band


Markus: It's the LBT era now. So they'll win. But I'm rooting for ZBB all the way!

Gator: This time next year I'll be voting for The Band Perry most likely, but since it's not, I'll go with Little BIg Town because they've been good quality and great commercially.

Single

Should win:

Little Big Town- 'Pontoon'
Miranda Lambert- 'Over You'
Eli Young Band- 'Even If It Breaks Your Heart'
Eric Church- 'Springsteen'- MM, GP
Hunter Hayes- 'Wanted'


Will win:

Little Big Town- 'Pontoon'- MM, GP
Miranda Lambert- 'Over You'
Eli Young Band- 'Even If It Breaks Your Heart'
Eric Church- 'Springsteen'
Hunter Hayes- 'Wanted'


Markus: 'Springsteen' is by far my favorite. But I can't seem them passing on 'Pontoon' after the CMA's and Grammy's didn't. It's not like the ACM's have ever been creative.  

Gator: I like Church's the best but I don't think "Pontoon" is as bad as people try to make it out. I can handle it winning,


Song

Should win:

Miranda Lambert- 'Over You'
Eli Young Band- 'Even If It Breaks Your Heart'
Eric Church- 'Springsteen'- MM, GP
Lee Brice- 'A Woman Like You'
Hunter Hayes- 'Wanted'


Will win:

Miranda Lambert- 'Over You'- MM, GP
Eli Young Band- 'Even If It Breaks Your Heart'
Eric Church- 'Springsteen'
Lee Brice- 'A Woman Like You'
Hunter Hayes- 'Wanted'


Markus: 'Springsteen' is legendary, but will lose to 'Over You'. *sigh*.

Gator: One final nomination for "Over You" and one final victory. I've got to say it has grown on me with all this belated attention.


Vocal event

Should win:

Kelly Clarkson & Vince Gill- 'Don't Rush'- GP
Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw- 'Feel Like A Rockstar'
Rascal Flatts & Natasha Bedingfield- 'Easy'- MM
Jason Aldean, Eric Church & Luke Bryan- 'The Only Way I Know'
David Nail & Sarah Buxton- 'Let It Rain'


Will win:

Kelly Clarkson & Vince Gill- 'Don't Rush'
Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw- 'Feel Like A Rockstar'
Rascal Flatts & Natasha Bedingfield- 'Easy'
Jason Aldean, Eric Church & Luke Bryan- 'The Only Way I Know'- MM, GP
David Nail & Sarah Buxton- 'Let It Rain'


Markus: None of them blow me away, but 'Easy' is my fave. Though, I guarantee 'The Only Way I Know' will win.

Gator: I think Vince and Kelly are the best (and if this was the Grammy's it would have a chance) but the star power is too much to bypass here.


Album
 
Should win:

Taylor Swift- 'Red'
Eric Church- 'Chief'- MM
Carrie Underwood- 'Blown Away'- GP
Luke Bryan- 'Tailgates and Tanlines'
Little Big Town- 'Tornado'


Will win:

Taylor Swift- 'Red'
Eric Church- 'Chief'- MM, GP
Carrie Underwood- 'Blown Away'
Luke Bryan- 'Tailgates and Tanlines'
Little Big Town- 'Tornado'
 

Markus: 'Chief' is my fave and I also have a feeling it will win.

Gator: Underwood did some great stuff and was the biggest step forward, but I don't see her picking it up over Church.



New Artist

Should win:
 
Florida Georgia Line
Brantley Gilbert- MM
Jana Kramer - GP

Will win: 

Florida Georgia Line
Brantley Gilbert- MM, GP
Jana Kramer

Markus: Don't love any of them, but I love "More Than Miles", so I guess I'll go with Gilbert. Oh, he will win as well.

Gator: Jana is by far the most acceptable nominee and the most interesting one. While I'd love to see her deservingly win this, I see her fiancee stepping in for the victory.


Video

Should win:
 
Eric Church- 'Creepin'
Kacey Musgraves- 'Merry Go 'Round'- GP
Hunter Hayes- 'Wanted'
Little Big Town- 'Tornado'
Taylor Swift- 'We Are Never Ever Ever Getting Back Together'
Zac Brown Band- 'The Wind' - MM

Will win:

Eric Church- 'Creepin'- MM
Kacey Musgraves- 'Merry Go 'Round'- GP
Hunter Hayes- 'Wanted'
Little Big Town- 'Tornado'
Taylor Swift- 'We Are Never Ever Ever Getting Back Together'
Zac Brown Band- 'The Wind'
 
Markus: Lol. How can you not love the video for 'The Wind'? I also like the video for 'Merry Go Round' though. I think this will go to 'Creepin' but I could see 'Wanted' taking it as well.

Gator: I personally think that Musgraves' video was an eloquent depiction of her excellent single and the fact that she is even nominated is awesome. Her somewhat surprising nomination makes me think she could win it, but I would not be surprised if Hayes sneaks in with his boyish charm.
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5 Second Single Reviews

2/18/2013

0 Comments

 
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Lonestar- "Maybe Someday"

Lonestar makes Rascal Flatts look like amateurs at the power ballad with this new single. It bleeds with emotion but it's not everyones cup of tea. Btw, does anyone else feel like the verses sound like those of "Just A Kiss"?

Grade: A-

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Florida Georgia Line- "Get Your Shine On'

Feels a little compressed, but still sounds decent. Has a great hook, along with a feel-good vibe and it's easy to sing along to. Again, not everyones cup of tea.

Grade: B+


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Kenny Chesney- "Pirate Flag"

Same old, lame Chesney beach lyrics. Let's put it this way: I was more bored listening to this, than I was watching Andrew Ebbett play hockey. Oh and one more thing, WE DON'T CARE ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU LOVE THE BEACH KENNY. WE UNDERSTOOD AFTER THE FIRST 15 SONGS.

Grade: C-

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Autumn Hill- "Anything At All"

Awesome country production, excellent vocals and solid lyrics.
Very promising from one of Canada's up and coming duo's.

Good stuff.

Grade: A

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Sarah Darling- "Home To Me"

Bland production and some lyrics that make no sense ("feels like indiana". What?) are ultimately what prevents the song from hitting that next level.

Still a pretty enough vocal performance though.

Grade: C+

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