Best named artist we’ve ever reviewed.
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[4.00]
Anthony Easton: There are good examples of this, and bad examples of this, the good examples depending on whether you believe that the artifice is sufficiently well-hidden that some willing suspension of disbelief happens. This is not a new idea. It’s a task that has existed since the beginning of rock and roll at its latest. I believe that Luke Bryan wants a country girl to shake it for him, that Brantley Gilbert kicks it in the sticks and Jason Aldean lives in a hick town. I do not believe Sturgeon ever operates a time bomb.
[3]
Alfred Soto: Coaxing his guitarist into playing shit-hot riffs, the spectacularly named Jason Sturgeon even wrings something close to suspense from the ol’ “hope she comes/comes around” trope. “Brawny” and graceless” my friend said while I listened to it. Well, yeah.
[5]
Patrick St. Michel: This guy claims he’s living his life “way too fast,” but everything about this song sounds unremarkable. I thought time bombs blow up eventually, not fizzle onward?
[1]
Jonathan Bogart: Surprise at borrowed AC/DC riffs is my hangup, not the song’s or country’s in general. The minor-key grunge post-chorus, though, is (again, in my experience) new.
[6]
Edward Okulicz: Seventies classic rock radio is not my favourite format, but “Time Bomb” peppers the formula with enough remnants of otherclassic rocks that I’m too confused to dislike it; in its own monochromatic, strained way it’s quite demented how much is packed in there. Here’s some butt rock (yay!), here’s something that made me think of Alice in Chains (ugh!), here’s… uh.. part of “Evie (Part One).” Points here are for shock and awe, but the awe is genuine.
[6]
Brad Shoup: They don’t even pretend like he can carry a song by itself — the backing vocals are more splint than boost. He scatters his vocal lines like birdseed; his pro forma performance is driving me batty. It sounds for all the world like he’s doing AC/DC karaoke from outside the bar. Is he pretty? I bet he’s pretty.
[3]