After spending a number of years in essence serving a
country music apprenticeship, Canadian artist Bobby Wills finally believes he
has a record that may permeate the mainstream market. However in realisation of
how tough it can be to crack the corporate driven Nashville labels and their
tight collaboration with country radio, Bobby and his team are prepared to
widen their appeal and have included Europe as a target audience for future
development. Apart from the vocal and guitar-playing talents of Bobby, a major asset of this record is the production and writing skills of three stalwarts of the Nashville and Muscle Shoals scene who in the past have worked with such illustrious artists as Reba McEntire, George Strait and Faith Hill. This team headed by producer Michael Pyle and including both Walt Aldridge and Wade Kirby have worked as a unit with Bobby on all ten original tracks, sharing the writing credits between them.
Like so much of country music, the strength of many of these
songs is the innate ability to take a real life emotion and weave it into a
simple but effective tale. The opening track, ‘Show Some Respect’, which has also been subjected to initial promotion,
is a neatly linked chain of personal observations all underpinned by the moral
of the title. This style and topic has served Brad Paisley well in the past and
Bobby’s attempt is equally laudable. Another impressive number on the album is
the metaphorical ‘Ceilings and Floors’
with its theme of desiring a better life for your off-springs. The title track ‘If It Was That Easy’, that concludes the
album, remarks on the struggles incurred when striving to fulfil your dreams
which could almost be autobiographical for Bobby.
As you would expect from any country record, the ubiquitous
cheating song is included and from a personal point of view, the cleverly titled
‘Did My Back Hurt Your Knife’ is the
most enjoyable track of this collection. Combined with the smart lyrical input
of Wills/Pyle, the song is held together by a sound that, while remaining fresh,
harks back to a more traditional era. The second song earmarked for promotion
off the record is ‘Somebody Will’, an
uplifting track benefitting from increased guitar amplification and rousing backing
harmonies. Despite committing a ‘grammar crime’ in its title, ‘Done Quittin’’ slows things down sufficiently
to impress with echoes of a touch of Kenny Chesney influence.
Bobby Wills has definitely made a valiant attempt in
creating a record that will fit perfectly in the mature sound often featured in
elements of mainstream country music and its associated radio stations. The
rest is down to the marketing men and probably a large element of good fortune.
However regardless of the level of success attained on the way, this album will
definitely swell the fan base of Bobby and help him in finding his own niche in
country music. There is certainly a market in the UK waiting to appreciate his
talents.
Show Some Respect
