Chuck Wicks continues his career as Mark Wills 2.0 with “Old School”, a boring retread that is like “19 Somethin'” with less cleverness, energy, and personality.
That’s right. Less cleverness, energy, and personality than “19 Somethin’.”
Unless shout-outs to the Steve Miller Band that get your heart all aflutter, this is one nostalgia trip you’re better off forgetting.
Grade: D
Listen: Old School
Ha. I actually think “Nineteen Somethin’: has all of those things.
Okay, maybe not clever.
I agree with the review, but you’ve got to give the man credit for giving a shout-out to the Steve Miller Band, as I doubt most country fans would even be aware of who Steve Miller actually is without someone mentioning a few of his hits off the top.
I wasn’t blown away by this one, but I liked it in general. I think it has an interesting setting, and I like the quirky rhyming in the chorus. Chuck’s performance didn’t strike me as being devoid of personality. To me it sounded like a laid-back performance that was well-suited with the character of the song. I gave the song a seven.
It’s kind of a nice change to hear someone namedropping Steve Miller instead of “Ol’ Hank.”
I don’t love it, but it’s the best song that he’s released so far.
“but you’ve got to give the man credit for giving a shout-out to the Steve Miller Band”
I realize this was a very casual remark, but if I may pick at the implication anyway, I don’t think any shout-out of anything deserves much credit unless it happens to fit cleverly into the context of the piece (e.g. the Faulkner and Williams in “Maybe It Was Memphis”). This surface-level name-checking thing is symptomatic of a greater problem with country music, whereby the music attempts to cop substance by affiliation with works of substance instead of actually being substantial itself. Anyone can drop a name in a song, whether it’s Hank’s or Victor Hugo’s; far fewer people can make great music.
…at that pace, chasing senioritas out by the pool sounds like a rather hopeless excercise and so does the rest of this acoustic sleeping pill.
then again, a “d” verdict seems a little harsh. he sings it quite nicely and it’s not his fault, that a false-tempo-summer-song is launched, when even north carolina is drowing under snow-masses.
…come to think of it – wouldn’t it be a nice idea for cu to come up with an “island country songs” countdown of some sort, next spring.
buffet, chesney, jackson, strait, lawrence, shelton, currington and god knows who else have released songs with some tropical flavour in them.
that could be fun, after the snow is gone and frankly, you’re a tough bunch to beat, when it comes to those little write-ups.
I liked “Stealing Cinderella” – I think of my daughter when I hear it. “Old School” does nothing for me. It’s not “change the station” bad. It’s just not memorable in any way.
Ouch. “Stealing Cinderella” is definitely a change the station song for me. I can see how it’d have a different affect on a father though.
^Me too, Leeann. And I’m a sap.
@ Tom,
Why don’t we just put Waylon at #1 now and save us the trouble:
I love that song.
Does “Stuck Like Glue” make the “island country songs” countdown?
You know, Kevin, for one utterly terrifying moment I thought you might have been reviewing a Chuck Wicks cover of my favorite John Conlee song…Whew! Lol.
I personally like the quirkiness of the song, and can’t understand how this doesn’t beat out all the (yawn) stuff Kenny Chesney has put out the past few years. So sick of also hearing references in every song about Hank or Hank Jr. as well as George Jones or Lynard Skynard who, by the way, weren’t even country. CW’s vocals are a lot better than Kid Rock or Uncle Kracker–who, by the way, don’t come close to classifying as country in my book. Let’s give some credit to Chuck–after all, his first CD was one of the highest debuting country albums of all time. Stealing Cinderella was a top 5 hit, and the album produced two other top 10’s, if not top 5’s, as well. Problem is anymore, if you aren’t a “bad ass” boy like Jason Aldeen, you don’t fit in. That’s one guy who definitely CAN’T sing.