Billy Currington's 'Little Bit of Everything' CD
Singer's New Country Music Blends Pop, R&B with Hit-Country Sounds
Dec 28, 2008
Little Bit of Everything, the new 11-song effort from country singer-songwriter Billy Currington, is a much-anticipated follow-up to 2005’s platinum-selling Doin’ Somethin’ Right, his second studio album, which scored Why, Why, Why, a former No. 13, and two No. 1 songs, Good Directions and Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right.
For those new to the artist, Currington’s breakthrough at country radio came in 2003 with his self-titled debut for Mercury Nashville. That record generated two top-10 singles, Walk A Little Straighter and I Got Feelin’, and brought the boyishly charming vocalist to the attention of label-mate Shania Twain, who subsequently tapped him for a hit duet, Party for Two, in ’04.
Now based in Nashville, Currington—who was forced to cancel much of his 2007 tour because of a voice-threatening vocal ailment—co-penned five of his current CD’s tunes, namely; Life and Love and the Meaning Of, I Shall Return, the redneck good-timer That’s How Country Boys Roll, Every Reason Not to Go and the tender No One Has Eyes Like You.
Country Fans, Country Radio Welcome Artist's New CD
Country fans have waited three years for A Little Bit of Everything from the hit-making Georgia son, and clearly, he was in a pop state of mind that, at times, hit “downright bubble-gum” on the music meter, including on the new disc’s first track, Swimmin’ in Sunshine, which seems to have the talented crooner hitchin’ a ride on the Partridge Family’s bus, albeit momentarily.
Then, on Everything, an island-grooved country cut penned by Jim Beavers and Chris Hennessee, the competent singer is titillated by every aspect of a certain someone, from “the way she stumbles in the kitchen lookin’ for that first cup of Joe” to how she puts on her mascara.
Nonetheless, the backing chorus of “If it ain’t one thing it’s another” is an ill-fitting insertion that fails to enhance the tune’s groove. Instead, it decidedly detracts from the momentum that Currington’s effortless delivery rides throughout Everything, but his die-hard fans won’t likely find fault here.
Billy Currington's Soulful Hit Music Climbs the Country Charts
Released Oct. 14, 2008, Little Bit of Everything debuted at No. 13 on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart and at No. 2 on its country albums chart on Nov. 1. Since then, the CD's lead single, Don’t, has risen to No. 7 on the U.S. country singles chart for the week ending Jan. 3, 2009.
Inked by Jonathan Singleton and Jim Beavers, Don’t is on target as the CD’s first single and music video, with its ‘70’s era, soulful guitar intro, punctuated by clear piano, and the ever-capable singer’s solid yet sometimes-breathless delivery. Crescendos build in the chest of any woman who’s ever been, or wanted to be, wooed “to stay a little bit longer” by the man of her dreams. (Could it be that Currington’s becoming country’s answer to Marvin Gaye?)
Here, the Southern singer holds the notes in all the right spots, irresistibly both imploring and reminding his lady love that: You know it wouldn’t be a crime if we crawl back in the bed, got as close as we can get, tried to figure out where this thing is goin’. … In short, with Don’t as the backdrop, the “snooze” button will likely to win, again and again, versus facing the hustle ‘n’ bustle of the workday, thanks to Currington’s innate ability to express his yearnings in such a way that one can very nearly imagine a loving, warm breath on skin.
New Country Music Revisits Stylings of Country Stars Tom T. Hall and Marty Robbins
People Are Crazy, meanwhile, finds the singer-songwriter in a storytelling, life-reflecting frame of mind that beckons back to country music’s "story song” days of, say, 1972 and Tom T. Hall’s Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon Wine, a former No. 1. On the cut, inked by Bobby Braddock and Troy Jones, Currington is relaxed, his Georgia accent’s audible and his whistler’s working.
“Just the title alone, when I was pitched this song, I was sure at that point that I was going to record it, I didn’t care how it sounded,” Currington said. “I just loved the title. I couldn’t wait to put it in my truck and listen to it. … It’s got a laid-back melody that just puts you in that happy zone.”
And in his new album’s “happy zone” Currington flourishes, pushing his style more toward country’s pop side than ever before, and seemingly, with his toes in the sand. On I Shall Return, for example, the listener’s momentarily taken back to the boundary-pushing cowboy music of the late Marty Robbins’ and his Spanish guitarwork on classics such as El Paso and Tonight Carmen.
Currington modernizes the Tex-Mex sound here lyrically, singing about his hottie-hopping ways, from his “little sweet senorita who knows how to be the life of the party,” to his “sweet Georgia peach” and his “Miami friend with that cinnamon skin.”
Pushing Boundaries: Country Singer-Songwriter Creates Pop-Country Music
Among all this CD’s tracks, though, Walk On mesmerizes this reviewer most. Its feel isn’t traditional country by any stretch, nor is it teetering on the beach or ‘70s bubble-gum grove. It’s invitingly lonely, like an Edgar Allan Poe or Vincent Van Gogh work, and was masterfully crafted by songwriters Ashley Gorley, Bryan Simpson and Wade Kirby. Currington more than does it justice, vocally cradling its melancholy to fade-away perfection.
Little Bit of Everything, all in all, finds the artist—in spite of his recent vocal ailment and self-imposed hiatus to tackle childhood abuse issues through intensive therapy—sounding refreshed, lackadaisical even, and vocally stronger than ever. He's in an exploring mood, and takes country fans along on his pop-infused ride.
Sources
Hot Country Singles, Billboard, week ending Jan. 3, 2009. Accessed Dec. 28, 2008.
Little Bit of Everything Cut-by-Cut, courtesy of UMG. Accessed Dec. 27-28, 2008.
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