All posts by Megan

Album Review: Zac Brown Band–Welcome Home

Rating: 7/10

My relationship with the Zac Brown Band has been a storied one, and this is one time I’m not even going to try and separate my thoughts as a reviewer from my thoughts as a fan because I’ve been a loyal Zac Brown Band fan from the very beginning. I loved their first three albums and their experimentation with Dave Grohl. When Jekyll + Hyde came out of left field, with its genre-hopping and sending EDM songs to country radio, I was less than enthused by it, especially after Uncaged. However, I should say that that album had some very fine tracks, and more than anything else, my issues with it had to do with the length, as well as the way it felt like a Zac Brown solo project and not the Zac Brown Band. There wasn’t enough fiddle, there weren’t enough harmonies, and even though there are some really standout tracks on that record, it’s just not the Zac Brown Band. So yeah, as a fan, I wanted them to return to their roots–no, not necessarily to country, but just to being the Zac Brown Band again.

So, it is with mixed feelings that I write this, after giving Welcome Home several listens. You have to give Zac Brown credit; he listened to the uproar from his extremely loyal fans and basically did a 180, reversing the band back to their country roots. Hell, the first song off this thing is even called “Roots,”–and that’s where the problem with this starts. It’s all so calculated and forced, and you can tell, at least for much of this record, that even though Zac’s catering to his fans instead of lying to them, his heart is not in this. That’s why I can’t separate my thoughts as a reviewer because most of these songs aren’t really that bad. Yeah, there’s some weak lyrical content, in “Real Thing” especially–that line “genuine, made in the USA” almost screams contrived. “Family Table” suffers from weak lyrics too, and it’s also just a little cheesy; it’s another case of the band taking this whole getting back to their roots thing too far. I could say all that, and it’s all true. But that’s not ultimately my problem with this record. My problem is I don’t hear the passion and heart in Zac Brown throughout this record that I used to on his earlier albums and yes, that I did in places on their last album. Ultimately, an artist should make the music they want, fans be damned, and I’m just not sure Zac Brown is anymore. That’s no excuse for releasing “Beautiful Drug” to country radio, especially after he said he wouldn’t, but making music like this just to appease his fans isn’t the answer either, even if I’m one of the fans who wished for it.

Despite that, there are some really good things about this album. The fact that they did a 180 of course means that once again, you hear harmonies and fiddles, and they do sound like a band. That’s refreshing to hear, and this album is very consistent throughout. As songs themselves, some of these are really solid and even great–in fact, it reminds me of a debut album, where it’s not perfect, but you can see potential. It’s just that we know what this band is capable of, so it goes back to being calculated and not living up to the potential of the band.

And then you have those moments where their passion does shine through, like on “Start Over,”–yes, we always have one beach song on every Zac Brown Band album, but if we didn’t, would that be right? This one is about getting back to a good place in a relationship with a lover and getting away to the beach. It’s one place where they all sound like they’re having fun and enjoying what they’re singing about. I can also hear that in “Long Haul” and “Your Majesty,” both of which are nice love songs and definitely an improvement over the filler love songs on their last album. “My Old Man” is another standout, featuring lots of nice harmonies, acoustic guitar, and fiddle. That cover of John Prine’s “All the Best” is exceptional, and it’s here, on the album closer, that I can really hear the passion in Zac Brown that came out in their earlier songs. Actually, if we’re being honest, I didn’t know it was a cover at first, and Zac Brown made me believe this song when I heard it.

There’s not really a bad song here, and even on the weaker tracks, it’s still nice to hear the harmonies and the country instrumentation. I’m glad to see the Zac Brown Band once again sounding like a band. But it’s glimpses of what they could be, popping up to remind you what they’re like when they’re all fully engaged, which ultimately just make this album a nice, pleasant listen instead of a great, victorious return to form for them. I still enjoy it because at the end of the day, they make some fine music, and I’m also just a Zac Brown Band apologist. But I want to hear more than good songs, I want to hear the heart and soul of this band and Zac Brown, and I don’t on this record, at least not on most of it. And as a Zac Brown Band fan, I’m going to listen to Welcome Home quite a lot, and it will probably grow on me because I just like them–but I’m going to go ahead and say it before my bias as a fan clouds my judgment. If Zac Brown’s heart lies in EDM music, or rock music, or anywhere outside his roots, then that’s where he should be, and I’m starting to think that despite this album’s name, home might not be where he wants to be anymore.

Listen to Album

A Note to my Fellow Bloggers

I’m not saying readers can’t get anything out of this, but mainly this is directed at my fellow country bloggers who may read this and get something of value from it. I’ve seen blogs shut down, go on hiatus, change format, question themselves, whatever you want to call it, in some form or fashion, quite a lot these past few months, and I took a break for most of 2016. I see so many people who have come to be friends in this little world questioning where they go with their blogs and trying to find themselves and figure out what works for them. And I definitely don’t have it all figured out; Country Exclusive is so much different than it was when it started in 2015. Back then, it was much more structured and scheduled; we covered charts and had scheduled opinion pieces, and you know what? That sucked the joy right out of it for me.

The key part of that? For me. So I had to come back and figure out what parts I enjoyed. I love the reviewing, and I love talking about random topics such as this, but not on a scheduled basis, where I feel pressured to come up with something. It may be different for all of you, but my point here is find what makes you passionate, and then do that. Be yourself.

I was originally going to write a post this week on the value of honesty and criticism in music, and how we shouldn’t give up on the mainstream and/or the negative viewpoints. Country exclusive was founded on honesty above all else, and there’s a reason my Twitter handle is @honest_country. With that in mind, be yourself when it comes to review. If you have something unpopular to say, say it; we won’t ostracize you for it. And let’s be blunt here, growth is a big concern for all of us–Saving Country Music is perhaps the most hated institution in all of country media/journalism/blogging, and it’s also the most unflinchingly honest, and yes, the most viewed–with maybe the exception of stuff like Taste of Country, but certainly when it comes to independent country music journalism. Trigger is nothing if not himself, so if it’s growth you’re worried about, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.

But back to the main point…just be yourself, and find what makes you passionate about this whole thing. You started doing this for a reason, just like I did. You all obviously loved it at one point, and I hate to see so many people lose that part of it as they copy other styles or try to be something they’re not. All of that’s hard though, and it comes with time, and I’m speaking as someone who went through it, and has come out, mostly, on the other side. Just get back to doing this because you love it, or else it’s not worth doing.

So, I’ll get back to reviewing music now, I just thought I’d share that with you all, and maybe you can get something from my personal experience.

Reflecting on: Zac Brown Band–Uncaged

Before I discuss their new album, I’d like to take a moment to talk about their masterpiece Uncaged, which is one of my favorite albums of all time.

Release Date: 2012
Style: grounded in country, but really with a little bit of everything, from reggae to country rock to bluegrass to R&B
Who Might Like This Album: really anyone, because there’s really something for everyone here…so, fans of good music
Standout Tracks: “Goodbye in Her Eyes,” “Sweet Annie,” “Overnight,” “Natural disaster,” “The Wind,” “Island Song,” “Lance’s Song”
Reflections: I just listed tracks 3 through 9 on this album, and yeah, it’s pretty much amazing song after amazing song right through that entire stretch. But really there’s not a bad song here, and if I were reviewing this today, I’d have to give it a ten. You can say what you want about this band and their genre bending, but it works fine on “Island Song” which is all but reggae country–by now I think ZBB have recorded enough songs to start this subgenre–and it works to absolute perfection on “Overnight,” which is a straight-up R&B seduction song. I think their last album took this too far in places, and it was certainly a jarring listen, but the length and the fluffy love songs always bothered me more than the exploration of other genres by this band. They needed a song on that record like “Colder Weather” or like “Sweet Annie,” the amazing standout love song from this album, certainly country and featuring lots of fiddle and the great harmony the band is known for. I can’t say enough about this album, and I don’t know if they’re ever going to top it, but the day they do will be incredible because this record is fantastic, and if they can manage to produce a better one, we should all be lining up to buy it. If somehow you have never sat down and listened to Uncaged, in its entirety and all its glory, please do it now. This is one of the best country records to have graced our presence in the past ten years, and maybe the best one out of the mainstream in that time frame. And by the way, when they say, “country should evolve,” this is the type of stuff they should mean–because this is how you stay grounded in country while delivering something fresh and unique and lasting.

Listen to Album

Album Review: John Moreland–Big Bad Luv

Rating: 8/10

Yeah, it took me quite a long time, several listens, and a detour in between to discuss the music of Kody West and Colter Wall before I could accurately put into words how I feel about this album. And that’s due to the sheer talent of John Moreland, the fact that his lyrics are on quite another level and hard to digest, let alone put onto paper, and generally that I felt this album is very good and deserved better words, even if written later, rather than words which were forced out just after the release. It’s always good to see success and talent coming out of my home state, and Tulsa’s John Moreland definitely has the talent–and a portion of the success. But this record could, and should, be the one that brings him to a new level of success and prominence.

I’ll say first that this album isn’t really country, although you’ll hear some country touches, like the occasional steel in “It Don’t Suit Me (Like Before)” or the lively harmonica in the opener, “Sallisaw Blue.” It’s not really Red Dirt or country rock either, like so much music coming out of this region. It’s closer to Americana, with lots of nice piano and acoustic guitar brightening up the record, and actually the Apple Music description sums it up well: “Heartland folk rock, warm and tough like weathered denim.” “Warm” is the perfect word to describe the melodies; Moreland’s past work has been largely dark/depressing, but there’s definitely a happier tone to this album, perhaps due to Moreland’s recent marriage and current state of mind. regardless, the melodies will stick with you, and it’s that detail which elevates this record from something on the more boring singer-songwriter side to something more relatable because those melodies will get stuck in your head, and you’ll find yourself coming back and listening. It’s an album that works its way into your heart slowly, a bit like Jason Eady’s latest record. And credit to John Moreland for giving equal attention to his melodies–many Americana/folk projects suffer from the same problem of considering melody secondary to lyrics, and thus, while maybe telling a great story, often lose that story in a forgettable melody.

And speaking of those lyrics…I already said they’re on another level, and I can’t really put into words even now the poetry of John Moreland. As I say, you come back to this album for the melodies, but the more you listen, the more new things you unravel in the words, and you start to find lyrics that could rival the genius of even Jason Isbell–yes, that’s what I said. I’ll say that “Love is Not an answer,” accompanied by some of that beautiful piano I mentioned, and the acoustic “NO Glory in Regret” stand out as fantastic pieces of songwriting, but you just have to hear them to fully appreciate them, and that’s why I struggle to put the music of Moreland to paper; my words can’t do it justice, and it loses something in trying.

So after all this praise, why am I giving this album an 8? Well, it goes back to relatability. With all that deep songwriting, sometimes it’s just not accessible/relatable. It’s still hard to rate this because some people are going to absolutely love this album and call it a genius piece of art. Other people are going to hear it and say, “It’s good, but I can’t get into it.” Still others are probably still going to see it as boring despite its charming melodies and instrumentation. This is one of those times that I can see all angles, and this 8 is the best I can come up with as both a fair critic and an honest music fan. I do think it’s an album that grows on you, and people that buy it and listen to it multiple times will get more from it than people who stream it once and say it’s not for them. It took me lots of listens to fully appreciate it, and it’s still getting better. And that, as I say, speaks to the talent of Moreland, that his work improves with time.

So, would I recommend this? If you like older rock or folk rock or Americana, absolutely. There’s a beauty in these melodies and lyrics that is special. I’m not sure your average person looking for strictly country gets into this quite as much, but this is still real and raw and rootsy, so it just depends on your musical tastes. As I say, it won’t relate to everyone because of the sheer complexity with which John Moreland writes his songs, but it’s an album worth checking out, and it keeps getting better each time you hear it.

Standout Tracks: “Love is Not an Answer,” “It Don’t Suit Me (Like Before),” “Sallisaw Blue,” “NO Glory in Regret,” “Amen, So Be It,” “lies I Chose to Believe”

Listen to Album

Single Review: Chris Young’s “Losing Sleep”

Rating: 3/10

All I can say is, what an ironic title.

Maybe it’s something to do with the last name Young–because this reminds me of the entirety of Brett Young’s latest effort in that it’s forgettable, boring, and yes, could put me to sleep. Let’s even forget about the beats, the trend-chasing, and the fact that Chris Young’s deep, traditional country voice is being used to produce something as non-country as this–because those problems pale in comparison to the fact that I’ve listened to this song three times and can’t remember a single line beyond “we’re winning when we’re losing sleep,” and I can only recall that because it has to be the laziest hook in mainstream country songwriting ever. Not the worst, but definitely the laziest. The actual song is an attempt at seduction, which, I might add, Chris Young has the voice for. That is what takes the song down from a mediocre, inoffensive 5-ish to a 3; it’s the lazy lyrics, Chris Young’s obvious boredom, and the general lack of charisma and care by an artist who can pull this off that bring this song down. IN short, the problem is that Chris Young is better than this in general, and better than this at these types of songs–see “Tomorrow,” and even if you found it slightly douche-leaning, see “Lonely Eyes.” At least he sounded engaged during that song, even if it boils down to being another song about picking up a girl in a bar. The one thing I can say for this song is that it’s inoffensive. IN fact, it really doesn’t evoke any feeling at all.

I could have included Chris Young in my recent piece about artists I wished would get back to themselves, but I honestly forgot about Chris Young because after some strong singles, instead of turning into a trend-chaser who began releasing atrocious music, he took the safe route with his last album and released one of the most disappointing, bland records I’ve ever listened to. That’s arguably worse than being atrocious; at least horrible music is remembered. I had hoped that Chris Young would return to more meaningful songs and realize more of his potential, but if this new single is any indication, his next album will be just as forgettable–and even less country.

Written by: Chris Young, Chris DeStefano, Josh Hoge