Thursday, March 04, 2010

Review: Easton Corbin

















Easton Corbin- "I'm a Little More Country Than That" (YouTube video)

Nashville's major labels don't release "product" until every last detail has been carefully considered by focus groups and marketing consultants. That's why country music album covers are so revealing. The art featured on the self-titled debut by Easton Corbin is no exception.

The aspiring country star is seen wearing jeans and a gimme cap as he plays guitar on a porch for a dog. Those are positive indicators of the album's contents. The bad news is that the wicker-laden porch is immaculate and the pooch looks like it's never been within five miles of a pheasant. Needless to say, empty bottles and rusty trucks aren't in the picture.

The manicured image projected by Corbin's handlers, however, shouldn't dissuade fans of Alan Jackson and George Strait. Corbin follows the same amiable traditional country path. And the kid is a natural. When I first heard him deliver the atrocious line "I'll hold onto those precious moments like pieces of gold," I actually teared up.

"Leavin' A Lonely Town," a song worthy of Steve Earle's Guitar Town or John Mellencamp's Scarecrow, makes up for a few of the album's cliches. I strongly object, for instance, to Corbin's two contributions to the annoying trend of country songs about beaches.

I hope Corbin works such Kenny Chesney-isms out of his system. If he's able to quit following fashion, Corbin has a solid chance at becoming a legacy artist.

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Raheem DeVaughn's new album disappointed me. I even find the Marvin Gaye tribute "Bulletproof" disconcerting. At least I have Erykah Badu's new album to look forward to. Until further notice, "Window Seat" is my favorite song of 2010.

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Roger Daltrey surprised me last night by upstaging Eric Clapton. Here's my review.

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God bless Robyn Hitchcock. Here's his delightful new video.

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I choked on a sweet potato fry when Blind Pilot's ""The Story I Heard" came on a tavern's sound system last night. What a song!

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Kansas City Click: Steddy P, the man responsible for my seventh-favorite album of 2009, plays Davey's Uptown on Thursday.

An excellent pre-SXSW showcase featuring Capybara, Roman Numerals, Olympic Size, Thieves, The Grisly Hand and Dreams Are For Rookies takes place Friday at the Beaumont Club. I'm not planning to attend, however, because I object to the venue's shortsighted no re-entry policy.

I love Gretchen Wilson. She plays a free show Saturday on the Power & Light stage.

The woefully undervalued We Were Promised Jetpacks play the Jackpot in Lawrence on Sunday.

9 comments:

bgo said...

Did you just land a gig as Easton's publicist? (I type with snark)

Happy In Bag said...

That's funny, BGO, because I'm pretty sure that Easton's publicist will not be pleased by my review.

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Wireless Vibrator said...

great post, im a corbin fan :)

Wirless Vibrators said...

Corbin is awesome !! Seen him min Jacksonville :)