An absolutely Killer record here. It ain’t the Grand Ole Opry, folks, it is pure American Pop at it’s best and I love everything about it. Here’s what can be done in three minutes. You know what’s good about that timing? It leaves when you want it to keep on going, like when mommy took away your cookies. The song is elegantly produced, it delivers new bits of ear-candy all through the run. And the lyrics are brilliant. How ’bout this line: I think love is over-rated but I don’t like throwing it away. When you put a string of words together like these, talking about the universe of breakup and lonely and you can make it sound essentially optimistic and all the rhymes blend in ever so smoothly with a hugely addictive hook…well, if you do all that then it’s time to give yourself a well-deserved vacation. Enjoy it, song-makers. It’ll be dang hard to top this one.
Whiskey On My Breath-Love and Theft (Hate and Purchase) There’s nothing like this on the radio anywhere. The last record I remember like it was the great “Don’t Tell Mama” which was released by Ty Herndon near twenty years ago. Gary Allan had an excellent version of that song on one of his albums, as well. The song is a spiritual, about a battle with the bottle and the seeking of release and redemption. Perhaps the confession is too raw, too emotional to be a really big commercial record. But it is a very good one. (is that really the name of the label?? Hate and Purchase ?)
