When I heard
that Bull Shiter aka Blake Shelton had a new single out, "Neon Light"
from his upcoming album "Bringing Back The Sunshine," I was
intrigued. Starting out the song with a light Hip Hop beat didn't really draw
me into the song, but the lyrics (written by Andrew Dorff, Mark Irwin and Josh
Kear - a trio who had written hit-songs for other artists before) had a lovely
retro feel - something I haven't heard quite in a while coming out of
Trashville. The lyrics actually do tell a story and in the second verse
actually get quite mean - even though the two last lines with the three word
repetitive are contemporary stupid as the mentioned opening beat is required in
2014:
“I take a shot of I don’t care
what
you’re doing now
Chase that one with a cold screw you
When that’s done I just might wash it
down with a big pitcher of someone new
That blonde, blonde, blonde at the
bar, bar, bar
See if she wants to try an unbreak my
heart, heart, heart”
The banjo,
the slight guitar work, Shelton's vocal range during the choruses also speak
for this single. The production by Scott Hendricks unfortunately does not. Even
though there is cool, bluesy overtone to it, it's completely over-produced and
over-compressed with several unnecessary layers, which lower the song almost
past mediocracy.
 |
| Out 30 September |
But then once
again, Blake simply couldn't shut up and the BS started flowing when he told Rolling Stone Country that "The song, the melody, the chorus is so George
Jones or George Strait. It really is."
Nope, it's
not, even though he also claimed to know the history of country music: "Of
course, I’m always going to have the haters and critics out there that say it's
not. But then, kiss my ass! I know more about those records than a lot of
people."
Maybe he does
to a certain degree, but then he would have had a good chance on being the
leader to move some of the music back to its more traditional roots. A song
like this, with a late 80's early 90s feel to it would have sounded
wonderfully. And producer Scott Hendricks should have known better. As the
producer (with Keith Stegall) he not only engineered Alan Jackson's debut album
"Here In The Real World" which contained the lovely Honky Tonk anthem
"Chasin' That Neon Rainbow" but also another ode to the legendary bar
signs, in Brooks & Dunn's "Neon Moon" from their album "Brand
New Man."
Alan Jackson
Even the
James Stroud produced, two year old "Neon" by Chris Young, written by
Texan master-songwriter Shane McAnally with Josh Osborne and Trevor Rosen which
reached #23 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs sounds with it's leading steel
guitar and fiddle more country as Blake's last outing. And if you want it
really traditional just listen to Austin favorite Wayne "The Train"
Hancock and his little ditty "Thunderstorms & Neon Lights" with
the late great twangmaster Paul Skelton on guitar.
Wayne "The Train' Hancock
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