Concrete Cowboys claim not to be your typical pop-country band. According to the Portland, Oregon based group, they are breaking away from the watered down pop-country of today and recalling the outlaw country of old. Concrete Cowboys’ Hard Country does have quite a few good songs on it, but it’s hardly anything different from other pop-country artists.
The CD opens with “Maybe I Will (Maybe I Won’t),” a song that features great fiddle playing that syncs up well with the blues-influenced guitar playing. It’s a strong opening song that fans of pop-country will like, but it’s not that different from anything you’d hear on country radio stations.
On the album’s next track, “Never Satisfied,” Concrete Cowboys infuses their country sound with strong rock guitar. The song has a much heavier sound then you get from most pop-country acts. On this one, Concrete Cowboys does show some uniqueness.
From “Never Satisfied,” Concrete Cowboys dives into “Even Misery.” No surprise here, “Even Misery” is the typical slow, country-ballad about love. It’s not a bad song by any means, it would be right at home on any country love song compilation CD that’s sold on late night TV for two easy payments of $12.99. As far as being a break from watered down pop-country the song misses.
The CD’s strongest songs are the ones where Concrete Cowboys uses a rock sound to compliment its country one. “Easy” takes this route, and does it with great success. The song even has some pretty good guitar solos, a nice surprise and definitely a unique touch.
“The End of Highway 5” also uses the rock-country sound. Lyrically, the song is the classic country song about the local hard-drinking outlaw. I’ve always felt that these are the best type of country songs, so I’d have to say “The End of Highway 5” is the strongest effort on the album.
Despite having a few unique points, Hard Country isn’t all that different from most major pop-country. However, the songs where the band manages to separate itself from other country acts are strong. Even when Concrete Cowboys doesn’t do anything original, the songs are still as good as any other country artist. Fans of pop-country are sure to enjoy the CD.
Chris Homer-MuzikReviews.com Staff
October 9, 2008
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