Billy Currington
Little Bit Of Everything
As trite as it sounds, Billy Currington’s finest instrument is his voice. The smoldering sensuality of “Must Be Doing Something Right” and the boyish charm of “Good Directions” were effectively conveyed by the way Currington interpreted the songs with that unique voice. Unfortunately, it seems that both the natural sensuality and charm were snuffed out of Currington’s voice for this project called Little Bit Of Everything, which actually ends up sounding like a whole lot of nothing.
Instead of achieving his ultimate goal of making the album sound diverse and positive, as reported in his promotional materials and interviews, all of the songs tend to blend together in an amalgam of drums, electric guitars, unappealing beats and lifeless melodies—not to mention the cringe-inducing lyrics that pervade the eleven tracks.
“Swimmin’ In Sunshine” gives us a glimpse into a beach party where “the boys are all bangin’ their cheap guitars/The girls are all rockin’ their Bikini tops” while they’re all, apparently, “swimmin’ in sunshine.” However, the most provocative observation is “There’s a hole in my beach towel/There’s a hole in the atmosphere.” For real!
Speaking of beaches, “I Shall Return” makes Kenny Chesney’s beach anthems seem mature and grounded. In this Caribbean flavored song, the narrator is obviously quite taken with himself: ““I’ve got places to be/I’ve got people to see/Got both ends of the candle to burn/But I’ll try to hurry/So, girls don’t you worry/I promise I shall return”
While “No One Has Eyes Like You” had the potential for a clever hook, it misses the mark. The narrator extols the virtues of the woman he loves by using her eyes as the barometer. The song fails with corny lyrics such as “I’m jealous of paper when you read the news/No one has eyes like you.” The other romantically inclined songs, such as “Don’t” and “Heal Me” are simply overwrought pop ballads that lack any perceptible personality. Another song that had possibilities but ends up falling flat is “People Are Crazy.” It’s somewhat of a retread of Sawyer Brown’s “Wantin’ And Having It All” without the moral pay off.
The drum kit used in “Everything” is perplexing, but not quite as baffling as the random “If it ain’t one thing, it’s another” chants in the song’s chorus. Perhaps the most maddeningly frustrating song on the album, however, is “That’s How Country Boys Roll.” As is the rage these days, it celebrates the country lifestyle that is, apparently, only complete with tobacco chewing and other various redneck activities. The irony, though, is that this song that is celebrating being a country boy is supported by pumping electric guitars and urban vernacular. It lacks both the charm and heart of “Good Directions”, which is the appeal that they were likely hoping to recreate.
Currington no doubt has talent, but he somehow manages to squander it in every plausible way on this album. It lacks direction, personality and, most of all, good songs.
I am not sure if I dislike this album as much as you Leeann? I have only bothered to listen to the first track “Swimmin’ in Sunshine”.
It has a fun feel to it and would be OK if the lyrics weren’t so dumb.
As well as a hole in your beach towel and a hole in the atmosphere, there is a hole somewhere else I can think of and you seem to be singing out of it here Billy.
I have heard the single “Don’t” a few times and that ones kind of all right.
so, no song about the bug that made his whiper-blade bump. no song about the broken handle of his cooler. nothing about that claustrophobic cob in a western indiana corn field. just the beach towel one and the paper making him jealous one. i can’t understand, why he squandered the opportunity to add some real substance to this record.
As Dan said yesterday, certain album titles have been rather odd lately, and inevitably lead to wisecracks when the material is lacking.
This is, at best, a two-star effort. Currington’s voice is a fine instrument, but the songs are insipid and the production choices are puzzling. You’d expect this level of output from a teenage poser, not a man in his mid-thirties.
Yea I downloaded this cd on Wednesday and finally got to listen to it yesterday on my way to work (it’s 20 mins away so I tend to do my new music listening then) and I wasn’t impressed. It got to the point where I wasn’t sure if one song had ended an another one began. The lyrics are quite corny and I’m not feeling Billy’s island flavor he tried to put into some songs. I was a bit letdown because I kinda like “Don’t.” Oh well…
I love the album and haven’t stopped listening to it, I guess that’s why we are all entitled to our own opinion!
midnight wisdom.
It took me 3 or 4 times listening to the cd but now I really love it and haven’t taken it back out of my cd player. Its funny how some people are so quick to judge someone or some thing.
Actually, I believe I wrote this review over a week after the album’s release. I don’t think I was quick to judge.
In response to Jim, I wrote the review in Dec, a little under two months after it was released, on my blog and still came up with a similar conclusion as LeeAnn. Although I gave it more stars, it was for the same basic reason that I graded it down, even a few months after it was released and over 5 or 6 spins of trying to find the good in it.