Pat Green
What I’m For
Coming from a seemingly endless string of Texas singer-songwriters, Pat Green spent the late ’90s racking up regional hits and filling college-town arenas across the Lone Star state. When “Wave on Wave” became a top five single and earned a Grammy nod in 2003, he’d finally transitioned from roots-country king to nationally-known troubadour. Green continues to plow this middle ground to seduce new fans while suiting his devout followers. Produced by Music Row maven Dan Huff, What I’m For scrapes the bottom of the trough for tired concepts and warmed-over heartland rock.
First single, “Let Me” rips phrases from the Conway Twitty songbook, and the title track rattles off a laundry list of things Green stands for (leaving grudges behind, loving stray dogs and learning the Gettysburg Address, among other random oddities). Meanwhile, the hard-charging “Country Star” namedrops Nashville’s rich-and-famous (Tim and Faith are featured in the surprisingly humorless rocker), but on What I’m For, Pat Green seems leagues away from the career level their talents have afforded them.
Wow! Blake, you and I typically agree when it comes to stuff like this but not here. While not a 5 star album, I do like the album. Then Again, I’ve been known to like stuff other people ‘in our biz’ of critics don’t like. As long as i’m not considered the Jeffrey Lyons or Ben Lyons or Earl Dittman of country music (poster quote whores) I’m fine with liking stuff that may not be as critically loved…
“Green continues to plow this middle ground to seduce new fans while suiting his devout followers.”
On the contrary, I think his devout followers are turning on him by the second. Solid review, though – this one really disappointed me.
What I’m For is insufferably boring; “Let Me” is in the Clay Walker/Billy Currington school, that is to say, his sweet-nothings nurse his lady love’s bad day and pave the way for a little poor-me sex. (Dierks Bentley, Josh Turner and Jeff Bates, among others, channel Conway much better in this regard.) The jokes (“Country Star” and “In It for the Money”) ain’t funny. Even the Bobby Pinson cut (“Feeling Pretty Good Tonight”) is bland. Compared to other failures in the past year, at least Jessica Simpson and Kellie Pickler screamed enough on their records to keep me awake for short stretches of time.
A fair share of devout followers (no more than 5-6 thou) will still stick with Green, but point taken about the growing dissatisfaction of his fanbase.
Perhaps I like ‘boring’ music? ;)
Too bad about this one. I really like his stuff up through 3 Days and there seems to be a gradual decline after that album. I suspected this album would be bad from the first single.
I’ve not heard the entire album, but I did hear the single, “Let Me” and that might be one of the most annoying, non-rascal flatts song in the radio part of the genre right now. You hear the term “one-hit wonder.” I call this song “one-note wonder.” I liked songs like Wave on Wave, but come on. Spice it up, show us your range, and let it go. If the other songs on the album are like this one, it’s no wonder why the fanbase is showing a disappointment to this guys music.