Garth Brooks

Scarecrow

Brooks Continues His Creative Slide

Review Score:

(4/10)
Garth Brooks has a real creative problem-and started with his fourth album "The Chase". From "The Chase" forward Brooks began relying more and more on the songwriting of Kent Blazy, Kim Williams, Jenny Yates, and Bryan Kennedy. These people had some talent, but the fact that nobody else picks their songs for their albums means something-they "had" some talent.

That being said, what about how the songs on this album come out. Well, there are no standouts, no "The River", "The Dance", "Wolves", not even a "Beaches of Cheyenne". Instead we get a motley (thats putting it kindly)assortment of middling new songs and trashings of good old songs.

Beer Run is very close to the worst song I've ever heard a major artist release. Wrapped Up in You sounds like a giddy boy the morning after his first time (which was probably Wayne Kirkpatricks frame of mind when he wrote it). Thicker than Blood is flat lyricly and Brooks apathetic vocals don't help. Squeeze Me In trys to be rockabilly, but instead comes across as noise, while I keep wondering if Trisha Yearwood sings on Garths albums not because she likes his music but because, as rumor has it, shes the reason Garth is divorced. Don't Cross the River is a 1972 America song (remember that song "A Horse With No Name", thats them) written by Dan Peek and slaughtered by Garth. Pushing up Daisies sounds like the songwriter forgot how to compose music, as the same bars repeat in an annoying fashion. The Storm is a formulatic attempt to copy the atmosphere of The Thunder Rolls, but these guys are not Larry Bastian when it comes to songwriting. Rodeo or Mexico is a bland country song the likes of we've heard before. Big Money is the same.

By now you probably think I hate this album. I don't, I just think all but 2 songs lack anything they need to be worth listening to. Those two songs:

When You Come Back etc is probably the most sincere song on the album. It proves Garth and his collaborators can still produce good music when it comes from the heart.

Mr. Midnight. Another reason Garth sold so many albums (and the reason this one fails) innovation. Mr. Midnight is different and well done-if Garth would stick to this we'd stick with him.

No doubt, this album will sell millions, but when it comes to cutting edge and talent Garth has been eclipsed by the new boys, artists like Gary Allan, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, and Brad Paisley.

Garth is on his way out. It shows.

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