Phil Vassar has written for some very big names in country music over the years. He’s without doubt a very talented songwriter. Personally, I’ve always found his albums a little hit and miss. Some of the songs don’t always resonate with me quite as well as others. However, this all changed with last year’s ‘American Soul’ album, which is chock full of fabulous songs. And, of course, he's fabulous live!
This new track, ‘Fall Crazy’is from Phil’s new UK album release ‘Look Back Forward’, which appears to be largely composed of tracks from ‘American Soul’ (which never got a CD release over here, although it’s available on ITunes) and is obviously released to go along with the UK tour which is happening in April. It’s another great song, but like much of the ‘American Soul’ album, has a very ‘soft-rock’ feel rather than an overtly country one. This manifests in the production, which, once it kicks in properly, favours big chunky rock guitar chords and solo, rather than delicate acoustics, mandolin, etc. However, the overall lyrical feel and melodies are also very ‘soft rock’. Now, that sort of thing totally floats my boat, as it’s the sort of music I’ve spent most of my life listening to and was my way into Country in the 1990s via artists like Little Texas and Blackhawk. Trouble is, it can be a bit ‘marmite’: you either love it or hate it.
Lyrically, it’s just a typical pop-rock style love song. There’s no specific story here or anything to relate it to the usual country themes of small towns, trucks, beer, cheatin’, etc. Although, having said that, most of us have been in the situation where we are massively attracted to someone and simply want to jump in and ‘fall crazy’, so I suppose to that end it has some kind of believability. There’s certainly a big hookline to hang onto and you do find yourself singing along from the off, as it has very warm and familiar melodic themes and chord progressions.
So, overall, it’s not breaking any new ground. It is very generic in its lyrics and melodies and it has more of a rock than a country feel, but still I do really like it! It’s an easy, comfortable listen and a pretty instant grab. Whether or not it will have a lasting impression I’ve yet to determine. It’s definitely my kinda music. If you like Phil Vassar’s music, especially the ‘American Soul’ album, I’d recommend that you give it a shot and see what you think.
Unfortunately, it's not on Youtube yet, so all I can do is link you here:
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