DISClaimer Single Reviews: Old Dominion Preview New Album With ‘Ridiculously Hooky’ Tune

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I hope you’re in a contemplative mood, because it looks like this is a country-ballad day here at DISClaimer.

Phil Vassar, Bernie Leadon, Preston Cooper and Ty Myers set the tone. Aaron Nunez, Romeo Vaughn, Ketch Secor, Priscilla Block and Asleep at the Wheel are somewhere in the middle with mid-tempo offerings.

Bucking the trend is our Disc of the Day, a wildly catchy, bopping tune from Old Dominion. Our DISCovery Award goes to the day’s finest honky-tonkin’ country rocker, “Hit By a Good Time” by Addis Luv.

ADIREN NUNEZ / “Wild”
Writers: Adrien Nunez/Mike Robinson/Nevin Sastry/Peter Fenn; Producers: Mike Robinson, Peter Fenn; Label: Warner Music Nashville/Warner Records
– Cool, anthem-like production with a full sound and mass chanting. Chugging beneath is an acoustic, strummy rhythm and rising above is his earnest tenor pondering his crazy personality. Impressive and different.

PRISCILLA BLOCK / “Couldn’t Care Less”
Writers: Alex Maxwell/Cole Taylor/Priscilla Block/Trannie Anderson; Producer: David Garcia; Label: MCA
– She pretends she is carefree, but she’s fragile and insecure inside. Block sings expressively, and the lyric is nicely crafted. I remain a huge fan.

TY MYERS / “Through a Screen”
Writer: Ty Myers; Producer: Brandon Hood; Label: RECORDS Nashville/Columbia 
– Here’s a young person’s view of romance today. Their relationship seems to occur exclusively online. He’s in love with her, and they’ve never met because the relationship is only “through a screen” of a phone. The ballad is produced with piano and orchestral backing.

PHIL VASSAR / “What It Means”
Writers: Dean Sams/Marty Dodson/Phil Vassar; Producer: Dean Sams; Label: PV
– Vassar had a near-death experience that transformed his outlook. When he came back to life, he had a lot of questions about mortality and existence. He has no answers. He only knows that from now on, he will live life to the fullest. The startling ballad’s production emphasizes his soulful singing and piano chops.

PRESTON COOPER / “Weak”
Writers: Brad Warren/Brett Warren/Lance Miller/Preston Cooper; Producer: Brett Warren; Label: The Valory Music Co.
– Cooper is a 22-year-old former mailman from Ohio. He’s also a helluva singer whose gritty wailing anchors this stately blues-ballad outing. This will wake you from slumbering through Music City’s dull parade of male country sound-alikes.

LYLE LOVETT & ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL / “Long Tall Texan”
Writer: Henry Strzelecki; Producers: Ray Benson, Sam Seifert; Label: Bismeaux Records
– Very amusing. Ray Benson plants tongue in cheek to deliver the cliche-packed Lone Star State lyric while Lyle Lovett provides a Greek chorus of commentary. A delightful disc. The new Wheel album, Riding High in Texas, drops tomorrow (Aug. 22)

RAELYNN / “Long Live Country Music”
Writers: Aaron Gillespie/Lauren Hungate/Racheal Lynn Davis; Producers: Aaron Gillespie, RaeLynn; Label: The Valory Music Co.
– This is a sprightly boot stomper that celebrates hard livin’ honky tonkin.’ Shout outs to Cash, Dolly and Jones sprinkle the lyric.

ROMEO VAUGHN / “Big Dreams From a Small Town”
Writers: Brandon Hartt/Romeo Vaughn; Producer: Ryan Rossebbo; Label: RV
– “I wanna be somewhere between Skynyrd and Willie,” he sings. The narrative song is an autobiography of his journey to making it in music. Electronic finger snaps, chiming guitars and an airy atmosphere are the production’s hallmarks. The video is due on Aug. 26, and it will reportedly flesh out some of the details of this Mexican-American’s story. He is a recovering alcoholic military veteran who was homeless until the Nashville nonprofit Matthew 25 gave him a second chance at life.

BERNIE LEADON / “Too Many Memories”
Writer: Bernie Leadon; Producer: Glyn Johns; Label: Straight Wire Records
– Leadon is a founding member of The Eagles and a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It has been 21 years since this Nashvillian has released a solo album. Its single is a deliberately paced ballad of nostalgia. The video intercuts footage and stills of his days as an Eagle with a contemporary view of him playing in a simple studio setting. Leadon will be showcasing the rest of his new music during the Americana convention next month.

ADDIS LUV / “Hit By a Good Time”
Writers: Jim Brown/Terri Jo Box; Producer: none listed; Label: Angel Eyes Music
– Way cool. He can’t remember anything about last night, but his money’s all gone and he vaguely remembers an overtime Titans game and a mysterious woman whose name escapes him. It’s a snappy country rocker played and sung with enormous verve and heart. The singer is from Trinidad, but he “gets” country music. Big Time. Loved it so much I played it on repeat.

KETCH SECOR & MOLLY TUTTLE / “What Nashville Was”
Writers: Jody Stevens/Ketch Secor; Producers: Jody Stevens, Ketch Secor; Label: KS
– Old Crow Medicine Show frontman and “Wagon Wheel” co-writer Secor adopts a Woody Guthrie spoken/sung style on this meditation about the passage of time and the dramatic changes that have occurred in Music City. The track samples Dylan & Cash singing “Girl From the North Country,” particularly the line, “She once was a true love of mine.” Tuttle harmonizes on the sung choruses and carries the hook into the fade. This is wonderfully done, his best single to date. With its vintage footage, the video is cool, too. Secor will be the new host of the beloved PBS-TV series Tennessee Crossroads beginning next month.

OLD DOMINION / “Late Great Heartbreak”
Writers: Josh Osborne/Matthew Ramsey/Shane McAnally/Trevor Rosen; Producers: Old Dominion, Shane McAnally; Label: Columbia Nashville
– The much-awarded band’s much-anticipated new album, Barbara, drops tomorrow (Aug. 22). I expect it will be filled with wall-to-wall great songs, as usual. That’s certainly the case of its ridiculously hooky new single. It’s tuneful and bopping and utterly charming.

Robert K Oermann
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