People Like Me
Nashville Gab Album Review
September 21st, 2011 Back to News
Album reviews suck to write...at least for me. "I need to do an album review," are generally words I don't enjoy saying to myself, which is why I pretty much avoid doing them at all costs. I love listening to new CDs, but when it comes to putting my thoughts about the music down in any sort of interesting arrangement that I think someone may be able to understand, it befuddles me. I sit and stare at my screen, twiddle my thumbs, do some laundry, make coffee, pick on the cats, and then eventually give up and pass the CD onto one my reviewers after I've transferred any songs I like onto my iPod.
I have a short attention span and truth be told, most CDs don't - but for maybe two or three songs if I'm lucky - hold my attention. I can't usually sit and listen to an entire CD from start to finish, it's just not humanly possible, I get far too antsy.
But you know, occasionally a CD will come along that I can actually listen to from start to finish without issue. It doesn't happen very often, but miraculously occasionally it does.
This is one of those times. You've probably noticed Justin Haigh's banner in the sidebar. I felt obligated to listen to his CD since he was advertising after all, but I fully expected to pass the CD on to one of my reviewers like I normally do.
Then something funny happened. I listened to the whole CD without taking a break. I'm not sure how, but I did. I popped it in, hit play, and before I knew it I was at the end of the CD and I enjoyed damn near every song on the disk.
That pretty much never, ever, ever happens.
Then I listened to it a second time to make sure the first time wasn't a fluke.
Turns out it wasn't.
The CD is actually surprisingly great, and I definitely don't say that lightly. It's a toe-tapping mix of love songs, songs about jailed friends, Jack Daniels, cheating, Waylon Jennings - you know, the standard country music fare. And yes, I mean that affectionately. Most of the CDs I get anymore are Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood clones. That's not bad, but it's hard to beat the original pop-country princesses. It's nice to occasionally get a CD that is sort of a throwback to early Garth, Tracy Lawrence, etc. - enjoyable without trying too hard to sound country. It just is country.
Justin will probably never hit the mainstream country stations since they pretty much all cater to the pop-country princesses and big names, but his CD is definitely a great one to pick up if you're wanting something different than you're going to hear playing on your local FM station.
If you'd like to hear Justin's People Like Me CD, and maybe purchase one, then be sure to head over to his website where you can listen to the whole CD. You will not be disappointed.
Here's Justin singing my favorite song from the disk, a remake of the classic Waylon tune Rose in Paradise.
Be sure to check back tomorrow because I've got a bunch of CDs to give away too.
Where to find Justin: justinhaigh.com, Facebook, and on Twitter.