Single Review: ‘Wasn’t Gonna Drink Tonight’ – American Young
11 years ago Liv Carter Comments Off on Single Review: ‘Wasn’t Gonna Drink Tonight’ – American Young
Songwriters: Jon Stone, Lee Brice, Billy Montana
Curb’s singer-songwriters duo, American Young, is ready with a second single, ‘Wasn’t Gonna Drink Tonight.’
I feared this would happen. American Young debuted on country radio last year with the gorgeous and thoughtful ‘Love Is War,’ but after not gaining much traction, I so hoped Curb wouldn’t bend to the market. They did. The second single is nowhere near the same quality and aims more for commercial radio.
That in itself isn’t wrong. Curb is a business and persisting with something that didn’t work wouldn’t make much sense. But did they really need to land on a song so generic and lacking in substance? In ‘Wasn’t Gonna Drink Tonight,’ Jon Stone takes the vocal lead and we find his character in a bar, determined to have a nice evening when he runs into an ex-lover and decides he needs alcohol. This also somehow ends up with him “busting up my knuckles on my truck.” Charming.
Stone gives such a stately reading of the lyrics that it’s hard to connect with the emotions of the character. But then, there is so little in the lyrics for him to translate. The extended bridge is in that sense the best part of the song, both in terms of performance and lyric.
Kristy Thomas’ fiddle combines well with the modern computer-built backing track. But her voice is brought forward in the choruses, almost overtaking Stone as times, which creates a listening experience which is at odds with the story.
‘Wasn’t Gonna Drink Tonight’ is, considering the talent and potential of this duo, a disappointing release. But hopefully it brings them the needed radio success so they can go back to releasing stronger material.
Liv Carter
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
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