Category Archives: Reviews

Reviews

Ok Trigger, I gave in to Shinyribs and I Got Your Medicine (review)

6 Comments

Rating: 9/10

First, credit to Trigger and Saving Country Music for advising us all to “don’t resist, just give in” to this group. Well, it’s taken me a couple weeks and a few listens, but I keep coming back, and this album keeps getting better, so I can say now I’ve given in, and it’s time to talk about this. Secondly, no this is not country; SCM said it was country in places but “only by accident,” the leader of the group, Kevin Russell, calls this “country soul” and “swamp funk,” and Apple Music labeled it traditional folk. I’d probably call it zydeco–which I learned in New Orleans at Jazz fest is Cajun music–with heavy soul influence and a smattering of country thrown in. Regardless, it’s good American roots music, and I hate that I haven’t discovered shinyribs sooner, especially since they’ve been embraced by the Texas scene despite their Louisiana sound. This might seem strange on the surface, but Texas and Red dirt fans generally embrace all kinds of live music,, and that’s where shinyribs excels. During my brief acquaintance with them, I’ve learned that they are known, among other things, for having conga lines at their shows. There is difficulty sometimes in translating all that live energy into an album, but I Got Your Medicine does exactly that, and it’s a refreshing, fun listen.

In the opener and title track, Kevin Russell is talking to someone who seems to be rather depressed with their life and he says, “I got your medicine.” I think it’s an appropriate opener and album title because that’s what this record is; it’s a breath of fresh air, a break from all of life’s worries. Much of this album is just fun and catchy. The instrumentation is fantastic; you’ll hear saxophones, trumpets, flutes, keyboards, and real drums. The awesome instrumentation and Russell’s incredible charisma really sell tracks like “Trouble, Trouble” and “Don’t Leave it a Lie.” There’s “Tub Gut Stomp ‘n’ Red-eyed Soul,” and no, I have no idea what that title or any of the song means, but I love it. It just puts a smile on your face. There’s ‘a certain Girl,” where Russell is trying in vain to get a girl to notice him, but he won’t tell us her name. Speaking of the real drums I mentioned, they’re excellent in this one. “Hands on Your Hips” has to be one of the most fun cheating songs ever; here, the narrator has caught his girlfriend with another man’s “foot on your lips.” I have to give Shinyribs credit for shattering the glass ceiling and introducing foot worship to country music. Then there’s “I Don’t Give a S**t,” where the characters sing about being a “match made in hell,” but deep down, they really care about each other. The group even makes faith lighthearted with the album closer, “The cross is Boss.”

But mixed in with the fun tracks, and making them stand out all the more, you get hit with serious moments. “I Knew it All Along” is an excellent heartbreak song, displaying Kevin Russell’s strength both as a songwriter and as a vocalist. “Nothing Takes the Place of You” is another serious song pulled off well by the group. Then there’s “I Gave up All I Had,” featuring their signature lighthearted instrumentation but telling a story of a man who gave up the love of a woman and four children for someone, or something, else, and now he is regretting it with all his being.

The only thing I can really say against this album is the song “Ambulance” takes the fun one step too far. This song is just ridiculous, at least for me. The narrator here wakes up in an ambulance and speculates on all the things that could have put him here. For me, this is honestly the only thing that brings the album down to a nine.

Not everyone is going to get behind this album, but it’s definitely something you should all give a chance. It’s a fun record that can just brighten up your day. If you’re a fan of soul, or good, live-sounding music, you should check this out. Give it a couple listens, and you’ll be giving in to Shinyribs just like I did.

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Reviews

EP Review – Kimberly Dunn – New Smoke Show Vol. 1

2 Comments

Rating: 7/10

I’ve liked Kimberly Dunn since her last album, Forever on the Run, came out some years ago. I like how her songs aren’t always super-deep and sad. Which is why I don’t know why it’s taken me so many weeks since this EP came out to have a listen, but now that I’ve done so? I’m even more sad I waited.
Things kick off with “High Horse”. It’s a song about someone who thinks they’re better than everyone else, and Kimberly is saying how she can’t be glad for them when good things happen. They take from everyone else just to get what they want. It’s a nice way to open the album, because it’s not a slow song. Plus, there’s a nice guitar solo in it, too. I just wish her vocals had been performed better. This is because at the end of some words and phrases, her voice sounds pretty strained. It seems to break a bit, which is something I noticed on her last album too.
Next is “Traffic”. It’s one of my favorites off of this EP. The song talks about how she’s in traffic, and that time spent waiting gave her some perspective on her current relationship. He’s no good for her, and she just needs to get rid of him and stop taking him back. It’s catchy, fun, and has great subject matter.
“Stand on It” is yet another lighter song. It’s all about how she doesn’t follow convention. Not being able to be put into a box, she stands on that box instead. It’s a fast song with nice guitar work, and I’m definitely a fan. “Until We Never Meet Again” is a breakup song. She owes a lot of bills, and is sick of being hurt by her boyfriend. Therefore, she kicks him out, burns all of his stuff, and sends him back to his mom’s basement. It’s a slower song and shows off her vulnerability to great effect.
“You Belong With Her” is a really good song, because she’s sending her cheating boyfriend back to the woman he cheated on her with. I’m definitely a fan of this, because she’s not crying or sad he cheated. She just kicks him out, and says he got what he deserved, and that that woman is perfect for him. I have to add here that the fiddle in this song is awesome.
The last song on here, “Lonestar” is my favorite. When I first saw the title, I was a little nervous. I thought it was just another song about Texas. It turns out that I thought wrong. What “Lonestar” is actually about is her being a wanderer. She’s with a man who just wants to be with her, put down roots, and build a life. Instead, she’s a singer and a dreamer, and always has to be on the road. While this can admittedly be an overdone theme, I just found it very well-done in this song. Her voice really shines here, and it’s one to check out.
This EP is one I knew I had to cover when I heard it. I just loved some of these songs too much. I had to talk about them. In some places, Kimberly Dunn’s voice is weaker than it should be, but in others, that’s more than made up for. There are only six songs and they’re pretty short, but I’m a fan of that. She says what needs saying, and that’s that. I think you should check out this EP if any of these songs sound good to you. It’s not the most amazing piece of music, but you don’t feel put through the wringer upon listening to it either, and that’s quite refreshing.

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Reviews

Single Review: Thomas Rhett’s “Craving You” (supposedly featuring Maren Morris)

5 Comments

Country rating: 0/10
Pop Rating: 2/10

New music from Thomas Rhett, just what I’ve been waiting for. To be fair, almost anything could be better than the God-awful experience that was Tangled UP, an exercise in being everything but country while simultaneously insulting as many other genres of music as possible with the shit music it produced. Well, “Craving You” is better than that, if only marginally. It’s not completely terrible as a pop song, but I dare you to show me one shred of country influence in this song. Sonically, it’s sort of like Keith Urban’s “The Fighter,” as it has an 80’s pop sound. Lyrically, it’s yet another song about love and sex being compared to alcohol and drugs, so even if it’s not blatantly horrific, it’s bland and forgettable even as a pop song. You would think the inclusion of Maren Morris might make it at least bearable, and in the few lines she gets, her vocal ability does put that of Thomas Rhett to shame, but that’s probably why she doesn’t get more lines–and oh yeah, she’s female–so basically, her part in this amounts to nothing more than that of a glorified backup singer. It’s not featuring her, it’s more like “with a cameo appearance by Maren Morris.” But let’s slap a female name in the credits and that way, when this thing becomes a #1 hit, the programmers and industry executives can point to this as a step forward for women and feel better about themselves.
The best things I can say about it are that it’s better than his previous album and that it doesn’t immediately strike me as being ripped off. Of course, if it were ripped off, it might be better; we all know Thomas Rhett’s original output is far worse than when he destroys the work of other talented artists, “Vacation” being the horrendous exception…but I digress. IN short, it’s a bad pop song being sent to country radio because it couldn’t survive in the genre where it belongs, and with a few insignificant lines for a token female to make the whole thing seem like progress.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooFnUCUI8Vg&t=107s

Reviews

Song Review: Jason Eady’s “Waiting to Shine”

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Rating: 9/10

Texas/traditional country artist Jason Eady has released a third song from his upcoming self-titled album, due out April 21st. “Why I Left Atlanta” was good and “Barabbas” was excellent, so I was really eager to see another one ahead of the record.
“Waiting to shine” is a more upbeat track than the previous two, and the instrumentation is fun and catchy. It’s brighter than most of what we got on the outstanding Daylight and Dark, and that’s refreshing to hear from Eady. However, the lyrics are really thought-provoking and still display the great songwriting present in much of his prior work. This song is about words: “words are like diamonds, the best ones are the hardest to find.” In reference to words in songs, Jason states that “finders are keepers, and I’ll take all the keepers I can find.” It’s a really interesting and true assessment of the power of words and music. But the right words in speech can also be powerful too, as the second verse illustrates. Sometimes words can make all the difference, and Eady notes that the best ones are out there somewhere just “waiting to shine.” This is another great track from Jason Eady, and this album is looking very promising so far.

Reviews

Review: Lindi Ortega–Til the Goin’ gets Gone EP

3 Comments

Rating: 8/10

Lindi Ortega left Nashville, and nearly country music, behind after realizing that despite her awards and critical acclaim, she still couldn’t pay her rent. Eventually, she ended up at the piano writing what she believed would be her final song, “Final Bow.” But as it so often does, music came out of these struggles, and “Final Bow” ended up as the first song on Ortega’s new EP. And even though it’s only 4 songs, there’s that common thread of pain and hope running through this EP that gives this project a cohesive feel generally not possible, and definitely not easy, with EPs.

The title track opens the EP, speaking of going on despite all of life’s hardships “til the goin’ gets gone.” Perhaps the line that sums up this whole EP and Ortega’s frame of mind is “and I hope someday they find me, see that I was on my way, when I lay down by the side of the road where I made my grave.” The sparse arrangements here and throughout the EP really add to it, and let the world-weariness in Lindi’s voice shine through. This is an excellent song, and it’s the one you should pick if you only choose one. Next is “What a Girls Gotta Do,” another heartbreaking song in which Lindi sings about a stripper who can’t pay her bills and had no choice but to take this job: “it might make your daddy cry, but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do to survive.” This is another one you should absolutely hear. Ortega’s cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “Waiting ‘Round to die” fits the EP perfectly; this is the first time I’ve heard a woman sing this song, and she really pulls it off well. “Final Bow” closes the EP, and because there are only four songs, this brings it down as a whole from a ten. My problems with this one are, although the lyrics are great and it speaks to Lindi personally, it’s almost so personal that it doesn’t really connect. She wrote it as her farewell to music and didn’t think it would see the light of day, and even though it fits with the tone of the album, it doesn’t have the universality that makes “Til the Goin’ gets Gone” stand out. Also, the other songs featured acoustic guitar, and this one switches to piano which I didn’t really feel worked for it and interrupted the feel of the EP.

It’s a shame that Lindi Ortega went through so much in her life to inspire this music, to make every word on this short project sound real and borne of pain and struggle. But music is meant to be real and relatable, and through her hardships, she produced something beautiful. I absolutely recommend checking out this EP, and I hope we’ll be seeing more from her in the future.

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