Album Review: Miranda Lambert Revolution

I should say first I didn’t write this. I didn’t think I’d be able to objectionally review this one so I had a freind do it and I’m posting her thoughts. She’s not a big fan of Miranda but admits to liking some of her stuff. So without further ado here’s Kawenniiostha’s thoughs on Revolution (If you can properly pronounce her name I’d be impressed).

WHITE LIAR
sounds so old school at first, old school lyrics and rhymes, then throws in something like “turpentine” – even the chords and the instruments are old school, but it sounds like they’ve been run through a synth

ONLY PRETTIER
sounds like a drunken Carnival theme, and just as confusin’ meaning. What the hell she talkin’ about? There’s too much distortion to her voice. you pay more attention to the weird ass music then her voice and the godawful lame-ass notes of the hook, which is cute but gets washed out in the trying-too-hardness of the whole song.

DEAD FLOWERS
I know the hook is the beautiful imagery of a withered flower and all, but seriously, the hook totally falls flat. Instead of feeling for the “dead flowers” i felt for the dead hook. It didn’t do what it was supposed to. Not sharp enough, I guess? Probably blunted by lack of life. Being dead does that.

ME AND YOUR CIGARETTES
Now this one could have been awesomely great. If it weren’t for the damn synth in the back ground. Why couldn’t she have been more old school with this one? It might’ve been my new favorite anthem. The most especially depressing part is right after the line, the hook, “me and your cigarettes” there’s like, fucking bells or something, and it ends up sounding like a psuedo-christmas song! It reminds me kind of that new Coldplay song about Saint Peter or something, which makes me think if the Bible had a soundtrack, that song be’d on it.

MAINTAIN THE PAIN
I don’t even know what to say. Oh yeah, more fucking Synth, that’s what. Why? I don’t understand. I wouldn’t even count it as a country song.

AIRSTREAM SONG
Nice to see she ain’t breaking her neck tryin’ to be Bad-ass on this song. Its Lovely. I like it. So old school and …daintily feminine, rather than this leather clad-fuck-you-butchness vibe that I get from the rest of her songs.

MAKIN’ PLANS
… … Beautiful. I will lose faith in the world (what little I have left) if this never becomes a single. Only one I listened to more than once.

TIME TO GET A GUN
Nice. Can’t help thinking a man would sing it soo much better though, especially some deep rumbling whisky-voiced Jamey Johnson or the dude who sung “smoke rings in the dark”

SOMEWHERE TROUBLE
For some reason I buzzed out and then thought I was listening to “Cherry Pie” from Warrant, the 80’s hair metal band. Probably cause it sounds JUST LIKE IT. Right down to the singing-in-a-warehouse sound and the shouting backup singers.

THE HOUSE THAT BUILT ME
Jesus, why she keep going for the tough lesbo-thing when she does ballads sooo much better? There’s absolutely nothing wr- well wait, aside from that dreamy, whispy sound quality as if she’s standing ten feet from the mike and singing through about twenty layers of gauze- there’s nothing wrong with this song. The tone, the sound, the way she sings it, the catch and lyrics are all great. I don’t think its too radio friendly, but its award worthy (I think).

LOVE SONG
I missed this one entirely. It was like two minutes of Fluff that floated by and I forgot about it after it was immedietley out of sight, and didn’t even bother to look back to see where it might have gone.

HEART LIKE MINE
I don’t quite know what she’s trying to get at here. That Jesus is a kindred bad-ass Spirit? If that’s the case, well… I can’t see that going over very well. Its cute, like it, even though the last verse is really muddled, cuz I thought she was talking about her father, until I took out the lyric book and checked, “Nope, she means Jesus” which is awesome, but I think it could have been a longer song. She could have done so much more with it. Just cuz Jesus drank wine, he’s a bad ass? One or two more verses of this quirky kinda story might’ve helped.

SIN FOR A SIN
More echo. What’s wrong with this woman? Or her mixing crew? Is it a trend? TELL ME! Its a good song though, and while I have no respect for her Tough Gal image, the “toughness” is the universal cry of someone being cheated on, and the Biblical touch was nice. Doubt its radio friendly, though. Funny how all her better songs are not.

THAT’S HOW THE WORLD GOES ROUND
there’s too much going on in this song. She’s practically drowned out. sounds almost like an Irish ditty, which is fun, but then that dreamy sound too it, and the twenty or so layers of sound, the two rhythm guitars, the base guitar, the lead guitar, her double voice, the backup singers, the drums, a tambourine, then that fucking filter over it all…kinda turns off the spunk that the song originally had. If she’s just stuck with the rhythm guitars and the banjo, I think it would have been a winner. Oh, and the backup singers. They have to go, too. They always have to go.

VIRGINA BLUEBELL
Went for a R&B vibe here. Nice. But, that goddam echo bullshit thats in EVERY FUCKING SONG on this album is really starting to get to me at this point. It actually goes with this song, but by song 15 your still doin the same FUCKING thing you’ve been doin EVERY song, well….somethings wrong there. Maybe its her style, I dunno, but I can tell you that it gets old fast. makes me feel like she’s lying, sprucing up her voice to sound better because she can’t sing. Which is DUMB because she obviously CAN sing well. I do like the little discordant thing running under the whole song, till it takes over at the end. Don’t ask me what the song was about though. It tickled my ears, but it failed to make me listen. I kinda didn’t want to by this point, if I haven’t already made that obvious by now.

Single Review: Krista Marie – “Tomboy”

                                               

“Jeep Jeep” is going to go down as one of the worst singles of the year (“That Thang” or “Dreaming Love” beat it for me) but that doesn’t mean I was going to write her off. This one however might be the one to do it. I’ve liked songs of this type the whole “Gretchen Wilson Lite” thing doesn’t bother me as we had many doing the same with Garth Brooks in the 90’s. Krista Marie however doesnt’ sound genuine, almost like she’s trying too hard. There’s also something about her I just can’t figure out what it is , but it makes me not like her. D-


Single Review: Emma Jacob – “Julianna”

                                   

Emma Jacob has a really great voice but hasn’t found a song to launch her career yet, hopefully this is the one. It’s nothing that we haven’t heard before, but she sounds great singing it, and it sounds like something a girl her age should be singing. The music is forgettable but her voice carries the weight, now she just needs to get played on the radio. B+

Single Review: Ash Bowers – “Stuck”

                                    

 

Well Jason Aldean has become a star now, so it’s time for his label to try mining that vein again. Unfortunatley this sounds all wrong, the production is loud and indistinct. At least with Jason there seemed to be something production wise that stood out, this is just all muddled together. The lyrics are typical and uninteresting and his voice blends right in with the background singers, I actually found one part where the BG singers sounded better… I’m just going to stop now. D-

Single Review: Rascal Flatts – “Why”

Ah Rascal Flatts a group I’ve never been able to get into, sure I see some modest talent in some of their early singles, and I can even understand why they are so popular but I can name only 2 songs that they’ve done that appealed to me. This ain’t one of them. First I got to say I Like that the production is pulled back a little on this one, it’s been a while since we’ve heard that from them, but the lyrics are mediocer at best. They’re just trying to pull the same strings they did with “Skin (Sarabeth)”. Having said all that this is one of their better singles so I’ll give it one of the better scores I’ve ever given them. C+

Single Review: Fast Ryde – “Make It Rain”

 

 

 

 

After pulling the plug on “That Thang”, Republic Nashville decided to mimic sister label Valory’s “Justin Moore” strategy.  Start with a song about a woman’s posterior and then go with a song that will “relate” to all the small town people in the country. Unlike last time though I hope it works for Fast Ryde. On their first single I had trouble distinguishing any kind of distinctive vocal abilities. On this one the harmonies really shine, the lryic has been done many times before but on todays radio it doesn’t really matter. I’m hoping to hear this one on the radio. B


Single Review: Fast Ryde “That Thang”

                                                                        

I’ve listened a couple of times, and I can honestly say I have yet to hear any appeal in this at all. It was the first song I couldn’t defend in someway from my co-worker who constantly makes fun of country music. (I even defend Rascal Flatts to some degree). I’m hoping that this stalls out before top 30, I actually feel sick whenever I hear this and only one other song has done this (Kate & Kacey’s “Dreaming Love” was the other). Seeing as both songs come from this year I stand by what I said in January; “I’m Really Depressed with the state of the indusrty.” 

I’m sure they have to have some kind of talent as they’ve been chosen to launch a record label, but I don’t hear much in this single. If I had to think of something positive to say about it, it would be that their voices aren’t very bland, only a little… seriously can’t come up with anything else, sorry guys. 

F

Single Review: Sara Evans “Feels Just Like A Love Song”

                            

Sara hasn’t had a hit song since “You’ll Always Be My Baby” and even that wasn’t a big hit, and that was back in 2007.  It’s been almost two years of nothing from her so she needs a big comeback song. “Feels Just Like A Love Song” doesn’t feel just like a hit song. It sounds okay but this isn’t a song to relaunch a career, it actually sounds like something that got cut off of Taylor Swifts last album, and that may be what RCA is aiming for with this one. I’m hoping it’s a hit just so we can get another Sara album out there and hopefully the next single will be better. C

Single Review: Reba McEntire “Consider Me Gone”

 

 

                                                   

 

For a while there I was considering Reba gone. For the last couple years she’s been putting out material that most consider below her talents. Well she’s back, maybe not fully but this new single shows many of the elements found in her excellent 90’s material. As usual excellent vocals, strong melody and her sassy attitude are all present here. It’s good to hear and this makes me even more exited for her album, cause if this is an indicator as to what would make a good single, then the rest of the songs are probably even better.  A-

Top 20 In Review

Hey, I’m gonna make a commitment to try to be posting much (much, much, much…) more frequently. I was supposed to start at the beginning of the year, but there’s been some personal problems on my end so I’m only getting around to it now. 

I figured I’d review the top 20 songs on the charts right now just to get back into things. I’m really hoping that things improve as the year goes on because after writing this, I’m really depressed with the state of the industry. (Off to listen to something good)!

1. Alan Jackson – Country Boy

After Like Red On A Rose Alan had to come back with something more traditional. He did that very well with “Small Town Southern Man”, and followed up decentley with “Good Time”. But this is probably the saddest single released last year. I never thought Alan Jackson would have to be this formulatic. D+ (C+ if almost anybody else recorded it.)

2. Brad Paisley & Keith Urban – Start A Band

I was fairly excited to hear this song when it was announced, but the end product doesn’t live up to my expectations. It’s an okay song, nothing original or anything, just okay. C

3. Blake Shelton – She Wouldn’t Be Gone

His Pure BS album was his strongest set yet with some really good gems remaining unreleased on the album, yet Warner Bros. decided to move on to a new record and released this song to radio. I won’t say it’s bad, but it’s boring. If I didn’t already know it was Blake singing I wouldn’t have guessed it was him. It’s just bland for me. C+

4. Billy Currington – Don’t 

hmm…Much like the first three songs this one just doesn’t do anything for me, it stands out compared to other songs, but it still manages to bore me. The video drove me to dislike this song even more than I should. D-

5. Dierks Bentley – Feel That Fire

Finnaly something I can be a little positive about. While not an amazing song by any means “Feel That Fire” at least sounds like Dierks gives a damn about what he’s singing. It’s very  cliched but Dierks makes it sound good, just like he did with “Trying To Stop Your Leaving”. B

6. Toby Keith – God Love Her

I’ve never been a fan of Toby’s but this along with his last single (“She Never Cried In Front Of Me”) are actually okay by me. This isn’t as strong as SNCIFOM, but at least it doesn’t offend my ears like some of his other work. C+

7. Kenny Chesney & Mac McAnally – Down The Road

Probably the best Kenny single in years…. D+

8. Keith Urban – Sweet Thing

I’ve always had a soft spot for Keith Urban, there’s just something in his style that intrigues me. The beat of this song just makes me want to go for a drive, or a run or something. It makes me want to sing along which is something most songs should aim for. A-

9. Brooks & Dunn & Reba McEntire – Cowgirls Don’t Cry

It’s a re-write of Crystal Shawanda’s “You Can Let Go”, which was a better song overall. Ronnie Dunn’s vocals just don’t have any emotion singing this one. When Reba joins on the last Chourus it’s more of a distraction than an addition. B&D haven’t impressed me in a long time, and I think It’s about time they go their seperate ways. C

10. Sugarland – Already Gone 

I didn’t think this was a good choice as a single, but it definatley grew on me as it climbed the charts. I actually now think that this was a very wise choice as the second single, because it’s a very well written tune, and you finally hear Kristian Bush on a Sugarland song! B

11. Rascal Flatts – Here

If there’s one artist I can’t stand in “country” music right now, it’s Rascal Flatts. I know they can put something good out if they really really try but at this point I doubt I would even care. F (this is better than Bob That Head though)

12. George Strait – River Of Love

Like with Alan’s latest it’s sad to see such a legendary artist have to record something like this in order to stay relevant. F

13. Taylor Swift – White Horse

Wow Taylor Swift will have the second highest rated song in the top 13?! While this isn’t overly country (some would argue it’s not at all), it’s still a very well put together song. These are probably her best lyrics so far, and her voice doesn’t sound strained like on most of her other singles. B+ (you didn’t really think she’d get an A, did you?)

14. Darius Rucker – It Won’t Be Like This For Long

“Wow Taylor Swift will have the second highest rated song in the top 13?!” I couldn’t say top 15 because of this song. It’s lyrics are nothing speacial, but Darius has a voice that can make anything sound good, and the melody really appeals to me. If he can keep up his current momentum till his second album I think Capitol found their next superstar. A-

15. Pat Green – Let Me

After two relativly strong singles we’re back to the Sh!t that makes up most of the top 20. I used to like Pat a lot, and when “Wave On Wave” was a hit I thought that it meant good things for the industry. I thought that more Texas artists would get a shot at mainstream radio and it would influence other artists to be more like the Texas scene. Instead Pat Green was the one who was influenced by “country” radio’s sounds and now this latest single can’t even be recognized as Pat Green, or anybody for that matter. (seriously There’s zero personality in this song) F

16. Lee Ann Womack – Last Call

Ahhhhhh something good again… While I want LeAnn Rimes to win the Grammy for Female Vocal performance, I also wouldn’t mind seeing Lee Ann Womack take it home for this stunning song. It’s not very traditional sounding, but when a song’s writing, vocals and production is this good who cares?! A+

17. Jake Owen – Don’t Think I Can’t Love You

Will this song be remembered 10 years from now? No. Will it be remembered 2 years from now? Probably not. But while this song has no lasting appeal, it does it’s job in showing off Jake’s voice in a very inoffensive way. C (A perfect example of a C BTW)

18. Rodney Atkins – It’s America

I was really pulling for Rodney for the last couple of years. His voice isn’t anything special, it may be the weakest voice currently on the radio but he has always picked good songs to record. This however is atrocious. I can’t even continue talking about it. F

19. Jack Ingram – That’s A Man

While Pat Green changed his sound so drastically you can’t even tell it’s him anymore, you can still kinda hear Jack Ingram’s roots shine through on this track. Like most of the top 20, the lyrics are kinda boring and arent’ anything we haven’t heard before but at least here they seem to get the job done. C+

20. Miranda Lambert – More Like Her

I don’t know how long Miranda’s career will last. Is she just getting lucky right now, because she really doesn’t fit in with the rest of the female’s who get played on the radio these days, and yet here she is with another top 20 hit. This is her strongest song so far, it’s a great performance and I’m hoping this one goes all the way for her, as it’s time for another female other than Carrie or Taylor to hit the top. A

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