More of the same...this is bad, sorry Dierks...
Larry Davis | NYC/Long Island, NY | 10/17/2006
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Dierks is OK, decent even, but he's not progressing enough...it's more of the same. This is fine with many artists, but Dierks is not ALTERNATIVE enough, if at all. He's tried to play both sides of the fence on his last 2 records...mainstream and alt-country, and it's getting old. Be one or the other, and it seems he's leaning more on the mainstream side on this new album, which I don't like. I HATE mainstream country, there's no edge, no real ROCK & ROLL in it, and it's tailormade for radio, and I can't stand mainstream country radio. On this record, it seems the label is trying to mold Dierks into being all mainstream. No way man, he blew it this time. He doesn't have enough of an inner hunger or independent streak. If anything, one new country record out this week that blows this one away is Vince Gill's new 4CD extravaganza of 43 NEW SONGS!!! Each disc focuses on a distinct style: catchy rock, southern soul/blues, traditional country, and acoustic/bluegrass. Vince wrote or co-wrote all the songs, plays lead guitar on all of them, co-produced it all, and he doesn't give a damn about having a hit single, ie it's not COMMERCIAL, and he's true to his art and his strengths, which is more important and makes Vince kind of alternative...Dierks should follow this path and defy what his label wants...independent alternative artistry is more important than hit singles, which are actually detrimental to any career, as they put artists into a box. Dierks CAN break the mold and escape this mentality, while there's still time...we'll see...nice packaging on the limited edition though..."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1