Strictly Country - Montgomery Gentry

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Here’s To You

Montgomery Gentry

2018 - Average Joes Entertainment Group. I could count on one hand how many decent songs Montgomery Gentry have had over the span of their career. The reason for their lack of hits is due to the fact that they lack an exclusive music identity. The duo longs to follow in the footsteps of the Outlaws like Merle Haggard, nonetheless, they desire to become southern rock artists like Hank Williams Jr. What they end up with, is a tone that is conflicted and perplexed. Like many of their albums, this one lacks depth and variety. Other reviewers will praise this album as it was the last known recordings of Troy Gentry. The final recordings for this project were made within days of Troy’s passing. Majority of the songs on this album contain a monotony of duplicate melodies mixed with rhythmic lyrics that are devoid of discernment. What discourages me from their music is found in the production; as the instrumentals outweigh the vocals. This error is found throughout this project, none more than “Needing A Beer.” This well written song has a solid theme within the lyrics that is destroyed by the over use of instrumentals that includes a fabricated drum beat. “Better Me” is another song with a substantial lyrics, nonetheless, it is backed by an invariable melody. This brings us to “Drink Along Song,” the songwriters had a strong and rooted idea but lacked the ingenuity to bring it to life. The boys do their best to breathe life into the tune, but failed too. Like most of this duo’s albums, there are a couple of songs worth mentioning. “That’s The Thing About America,” is a patriotic song that captures today’s mentality. Another song that draws my attention is “King Of The World” with it’s fishing overtones. The preferred song from this project is “Feet Back On The Ground.” Through this song we can here a touch of authenticity within the performance as the lyrics seem to have struck a chord with Eddy and Troy. This song may end up on Strictly Country’s list of Top Songs of 2019 and earn a nomination for the Spirit Award’s Song of The Year Award. It is a shame that this duo did not find their natural musical identity. The only reason this album will hit the charts is due to Troy’s untimely death. $$+

(© Strictly Country Magazine - March / April 2019.)