Easton Corbin All Over The Road Single Review

Single Review: Easton Corbin All Over The Road, Has It Got The Staying Power?

I have to say apart from “Lovin’ You Is Fun” I had never really listened to Easton Corbin. So when I first heard this song, I was bowled over by how purely 90s it sounded (I’d like to clarify that I mean that positively!) Although I don’t listen to any particular artists from the 90s, sometimes I put on 90s country internet radio just to relax with, and if I had heard this song play on it, I wouldn’t have been any the wiser. Easton’s voice has that tonal quality to it, and the production that surrounds it, to make it a real tribute to that sound from 20 years ago.

Tribute to 90’s Country, but Modern Too.

However, despite the musical era it’s rooted in, there are elements of modernity. For example, the
guitar solo reminds me of the songs of some of the biggest stars in Nashville right now. When the
final chorus kicks in, the instrumentation is suddenly stripped back to the acoustic guitar playing
a melody-based pattern, something which has often been used and is very effective. As expected,
the drums then kick in, and the steel guitar and other instruments join it to complete the song as it
began.

Relaxing Quality But Is That Enough?

As a song it’s fairly simple, it’s foot-tapping, head-bobbing, and is perfect for the car radio, or
perhaps a bar. However, the beat is slower than other songs of its type, and doesn’t encourage
liveliness. Rather, it’s a cheerful, fun song that asks you to chill with a beer for a bit. The melody is
simple and easy to sing along to, there’s not a huge range of notes, and it perfectly functions as
something to have on while you’re relaxing. Lyrically it repeats a lot of the ideas recycled again and
again in country music, about driving with his girl, getting a little frisky, high on life, and not being
able to wait until he can get her home.

May Not Have Staying Power.

This is well and good and I like the song, but it’s not a song I can get very excited about. It doesn’t
hit me in any sort of which way, and unfortunately, it feels a little average.
Songs to ‘have on in the background’ aren’t necessarily the ones to stick around. ‘Lovin’ You Is Fun’
Easton’s previous release, did so well because it had that catchy hook. Whilst this song has kind of
catchy elements, it blends into the wallpaper of country music far more, and I fear it will get lost
among the rest. I think it will do fairly well in the charts because Easton’s star is growing, particularly
after his previous single being the 8th top selling country song in all of 2012 (according to Billboard’s
end of year charts), but it won’t be one that people remember particularly, not as far as I can see.

Looking for A Stronger Follow Up Single.

It’s a good song and I’m quite happy to listen to it, have it on the radio, but it doesn’t make me want
to buy the album, and I think after his previous single Easton needed a stronger song to follow up,
to convince people he’s not ‘just another country star’. The 90s thing probably doesn’t help either,
in that while a good sound, recycling musical and production ideas from an entire decade doesn’t
usually make for something new and original, something that’s going to hit you in the face and make
you remember it (when I say 90s I should say middle-of-the-road commercial country of the 90s, just
to clarify, I’m aware there was a lot more than that going on).

So when this song comes on the radio, I would actively recommend turning it on, I would even
suggest downloading it from iTunes here. Still, I don’t think it’s has the staying power it needs. But maybe I’m wrong.