Zane Lewis : Zane Lewis

Country Music Reviews

Zane Lewis : Zane Lewis

Zane Lewis plays Country at the rougher side of friendly and has every chance of becoming a minor star - which is a shame.

He should have every chance of being a major new star, but "Country radio" will put the dampers on that until he sorts out whether he plays Country music or Country rock!
Right now, Lewis plays what he calls "fuel-injected Country" and therein lies his problem.

This album is about 50 per cent great Country music (which radio will play) and 50 per cent pumped up Country rock (which it won't).

If he cut a little of the gasoline out of his pumped up Country rock and concentrated on what he does best, he could well be the next Alan Jackson. If he doesn't, he could be the next poor man's Toby Keith.

The album's best track has every chance of hitting the singles charts (if it's put out as a single). "Becky Brown's Daddy" is Country music at it's very best. Lewis puts you in the school chair just behind Becky and takes you on a  ride to her house where he meets "Daddy" - OUCH! Sheer brilliance.

On the positive side of the album, "Come With Me" has a wonderful melody, a sixties pop feel and a snare drum hit so hard it hurts! The hook is annoyingly catchy and this could make the charts if the label sees fit to release it as a single.

"Leavin'" has potential too.  Lewis actually sounds hurt as he looks through old pictures and remembers the good times, and his lady drives off into the Californian sunset. There are some great lines in the lyrics about dreams heading west and the town being too small to hold her.

"This'll Be A Memory" is the opposite side of "Leavin'". This is the song about when the photos are taken and the memories are created. Brilliant.

"Even A Leaf" fails to be the dramatic romantic album closer it's evidently intended to be. The lyrical idea's good, but the melody is dull as dishwater and Lewis struggles to put any feelings into the vocals.

On the harder - negative - side, many of the rock-ier tracks are very same-old, same-old Country rock.

"A Helluva Time" has a neat chugging rhythm which draws you in and keeps you interested.  It's honky-tonk Country music with a suitably wild piano tinkling throughout deep in the mix and it might just sneak past the watchful eyes of the "we don't play Country music radio" police.

"Bad Ass Country Band" heads towards the boring side of Country rock - great live - not so hot on a CD.

And then there's the rest: "Welcome to the Southland" is just bald Country rock music with no fancy trimmings while "She's Got It Goin' On" is a Toby Keith kind of song with the singer salivating over some woman he'd like to have walk all over him.

That's true of "Everything I Want". I sometime look around to see if I can spot the men who - according to tracks like these - spend their time walking round eyeing up women with salacious thoughts and apparently uncontrolled urges.  I'M STILL LOOKING but I bet loads of you ladies out there can spot them a mile off.

My View: Cut the fuel injection out and this guy could be the next Alan Jackson!

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