One of the biggest mistakes we can make as fans is assuming that the songs that get released to radio are the best songs that an artist has to offer. Now don't get me wrong. There are plenty of instances where the best songs on an album become singles. It does happen, just not all the time and not often enough. What people need to keep in mind is that most of the songs that get released as singles are ones that the record label believe will do well on radio. Now there are times where an artist will feel strongly enough about a song to fight for it to get released even if it's not the kind of song that normally gets played. But the truth of the matter is that some of the best songs never make it to radio. Speaking for myself, many of my favorite songs are album cuts. This leads me to yet another of my musical pet peeves which is when people think that they can properly determine who an artist is strictly by the songs of theirs that go to radio. Now I understand that if you don't like the singles, you're most likely not going to go out and buy the album. But you can also never completely understand and appreciate an artist until you hear the songs that never got released. I believe you learn more from the album cuts than you do from the singles.
This is why I wanted to start this series. To shed some light on some of these songs. Each installment will feature the songs of one singer or group. Each installment will include five songs because that felt like a good number. This means that there will most likely be artists who end up getting featured multiple times, especially considering that new music is coming out all the time and thus, more songs to love. When I decided to start this, I instantly knew who was going to be up first. A man with a rich and golden country voice. A man who is horribly underrated and doesn't get the respect and appreciation he deserves from the industry. A man who has yet to release a song that I don't like. Just as easy on the eyes as he is on the ears, he is also one of the nicest singers I've ever met. Who am I talking about? This guy.
Mr. Chris Young. It was hard to narrow it down to just five, but I did. Keep reading to see what I picked and why.
Mr. Chris Young. It was hard to narrow it down to just five, but I did. Keep reading to see what I picked and why.
I was on the fence about including this first one because it is featured on his most recent album, A.M., and I'm not sure how many more singles will get released or even if there will be any more singles released. Meaning that there's technically still a chance that this one could get released. I'm including it anyway because it's a beautiful song that deserves some attention regardless. I'm talking about "Goodbye", a song about not wanting to see a relationship because what they have is "too good for goodbye". As you may have assumed, it is a ballad and Chris just shines at those. His delivery is always so sincere and he sings with so much conviction that you can't help but believe him. It always feels so real. Every time I listen to one of his ballads, I can't understand why he hardly ever gets nominated for any awards. He is one of the best male singers in country music right now and it is a travesty that he gets overlooked so often. He shouldn't only be nominated for male vocalist; he deserves to win. Period. This is another song that proves it and I absolutely love the melody. Beautifully written song.
We're going back to his self-titled debut album with this next one. It's such a shame that it didn't become a single because the video for this could have been awesome. The song? "White Lightning Hit the Family Tree". I like this one because it shows off his sense of humor; something that really doesn't seem to get shown that much - at least not in regards to his singles. I mean, I get it. His ballads are so strong and tend to do so well for him, so it makes sense that they make up so many of his singles. But there's so much more to him than that. This is a song about what can happen when alcohol and families mix. Yep, the video for this could have been hilarious. Such a missed opportunity with this one.
Next up: "The Dashboard" from The Man I Want To Be. I've seen this song talked about as being a happier version of Lee Brice's beautiful and heartbreaking "I Drive Your Truck". Not in terms of the way they sound, mind, but they're in the same vein lyrically speaking. Both are about a pair of brothers, one of whom is a soldier. Both involve a truck being left in the care of the other brother. Only in this case, the soldier gets to come home, hence the way in which it is happier. This is one that will hit you right in the feels, as so many say these days. Another lovely melody, another spectacular vocal delivery by Chris.
We return to his debut album to a song that he will still do in concert, much to my delight. If this one doesn't make you want to move, you might want to check your pulse. The groove is strong in this one. A song about a guy who has had a few too many and is in need of a ride home. After all he certainly can't drive he can't walk and, well, he's not going to crawl home. Which leaves him with a very important question: "Who's Gonna Take Me Home"? This is such a fun song and once again, the video could have been hilarious.
It makes me crazy that this album didn't do better for him because it was so fantastic. So much that three of the five songs in this post come from it. We've had two funny ones, but we're going to wrap this up with a sad one. In fact, this is probably the saddest song he's ever recorded: "Flowers". There are some songs that could fit into any period of country music thanks to the strength of the lyric and I'd say that this is one of those. It is a lyrical masterpiece. One of those that forces you to stop what you're doing and really focus on the words. It involves two of the emotions that country music was built on: regret and heartbreak. It's a song about a man whose alcohol addiction cost him the love of his life and it'll pretty much rip your heart out. I mean, look at some of the lyrics: "I'd take your place in this field of stone/ If I only had the power/ Look what it took for me finally bring you flowers". Spot on delivery, but then, that's not a surprise. His voice is perfect for this song. If there is one song from this list you need to listen to, it'd be this one.
I said it in the introduction, but Chris Young is one of the few artists who has never released a song I didn't like. His singles have all been great, which is saying something given the strength of the album cuts. You just can't go wrong with Chris Young. You just can't. He will be featured in this series again. I can promise you that. Though right now, at this moment, I'm thinking that the next artist to be featured with be Little Big Town. But you never know. Be on the lookout for that one.
Also, heads up to anyone who loves either Jerrod Niemann or Lee Brice or both because I'm planning a special post about the two of them. Two of my favorite men in country music, both musically and otherwise. I'm not entirely sure when this will get published because it's one I'll be taking my time with, but I wanted people to know that it's happening.
In case you missed it, in my last post about the oh so wonderful Sing Off tour I announced that I was going to be doing a giveaway. Still figuring out the best way to do it, but the albums I'll be giving one of you have been purchased. One has already arrived. My point is that this giveaway is absolutely happening. More details to come once I work them out. In the meantime, if you haven't already, go ahead and check out my review of the show (found here ). It was seriously one of most enjoyable shows I've seen in my life and these are groups that everyone needs to know about.
I want to end by thanking any and everyone who has ever favorited or shared any of my posts. I don't do that as often as I should. I always thank you all for reading them, but I really do appreciate it when people share them. It helps me reach people I might not have reached otherwise and I'm so grateful for that. So thank you.
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