Music review: Eric Church — ‘The Outsiders’
鈥淚t鈥檚 a different kind of cloth that we鈥檙e cut from,鈥� sings Eric Church on the title track of his fourth studio album.
It鈥檚 a true monster of a track with a rebellious combination of Waylon Jennings meets Led Zeppelin. Elements of country, heavy metal and rock fuse into an intriguing blend of swagger, defiance and danger.
I guess that鈥檚 what you start churning out after you鈥檙e invited to be the opening act for Metallica. Powered by the hits 鈥淪pringsteen鈥� and 鈥淒rink in My Hand,鈥� the North Carolina singer-songwriter established himself as a country star on the strength of the 2011鈥檚 鈥淐hief.鈥�
With 鈥淭he Outsider,鈥� Church continues to muster up an entertaining mixture of traditional, passionate country tunes and guitar-driven rock. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 Damn Rock & Roll鈥� hammers home the rowdy lifestyle of a rock star with an infectious guitar riff reminiscent of AC/DC鈥檚 鈥淗ighway to Hell.鈥� Now that鈥檚 what I call pure country outlaw to the hilt.
The chilling circumstances found on 鈥淐old One鈥� display Church鈥檚 knack for delivering humor and charm. Singing about losing his girlfriend as she defiantly walks off with his beer is one cold slap indeed. 鈥淭alladega鈥� and 鈥淕ive Me Back My Hometown鈥� are nostalgic numbers about good friends, good times and the virtues of small-town America.
Church shines as he delivers a tender ballad about surviving a turbulent lifestyle on 鈥淎 Man Who Was Gonna Die Young.鈥� The 36-year-old wonders in amazement how he鈥檚 managed to outlive Hank Williams and Jesus, crediting the love of a good woman for his survival.
Not everything Church touches turns to gold as witnessed on 鈥淒evil, Devil (Prelude: Princess of Darkness).鈥� This anti-establishment tale about the dark side of Nashville鈥檚 music industry gets weird in a hurry as Church chooses to deliver a mostly Jim Morrison-esque narrative that becomes blurred and boring after eight grueling minutes of bizarre imagery.
Fortunately, Church recovers quickly on the 鈥淭he Joint.鈥� Church avoids the obvious on the witty closer as he sings about mamma torching the house, and not the stuff recently legalized in Colorado. With the release of 鈥淭he Outsiders,鈥� Church proves he鈥檚 a modern-day outlaw blazing his own musical trail.