Gotta love Phil!
A. Kline | Philadelphia, PA | 01/13/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"How can you not love Phil Vassar? That is, unless you don't like country music, in which case you shouldn't be reading this. One of the most underrated and underappriciated country musicians, Phil loves what he does, and it comes through on every song. My problem with this CD is the same as most reviews I've read: it's misleading. The title, the cover art, the lead song, and especially the inclusion of the fan favorite "Bobbi with an 'I'" builds expectation of a upbeat, fun-loving album. This is not that album.
Possibly because of that fact, this just doesn't feel like a cohesive album. The majority of the songs are not exactly light-hearted. I enjoyed every song, but it just felt... heavy, for lack of a better term. As a result, the more upbeat songs feel out of place, instead of easing the mood. Listening to the songs in a Phil Vassar or country playlist would be fine, but the album itself doesn't work well as a whole.
That being said, I can't wait for the next album. I got really exciting hearing some of Phil's piano rifts on "Where Have All the Pianos Gone." I would love to hear him just let loose, as "Six-Pack Summer," "The Hot Tub Song," and "Good Ol' Days" are some of my favorites of Phil's. He does sentimental well, but he has shown he knows how to have a good time too."