New Tunes Tuesday - Eli Young Band

Hey, I'm on a roll!  Three music posts in three weeks! But there has been some great music released lately, and here's another one... 10,000 Towns by Eli Young Band.

The album title is not only the title to one of the songs, but also encompasses all of the places they have been while touring and putting on shows. I noticed a "on the road" kind of theme throughout the album. If they're not singing about the actual road, they're traveling down memory lane. I've always enjoyed their sound too. They do a great job of meshing rock with country and continue to do so on this album.

I love "Drunk Last Night" which was their lead single. The arrangement is modern without being too overdone. And who hasn't regretted doing some secret spilling after having one too many? That's a memory lane you might want to avoid.  "Dust" continues the road theme with a very catchy melody. The girl in the song could have been me back in the day speeding out of her small town and leaving it all behind. "Turn the radio up / Roll the windows down / She's got an open road / Nothing's stopping her now." It's their newest single, and I think it should do well on the radio.

Two memory lane tracks happen to be my favorites. "What Does" is a painful break-up song wondering what in the world went wrong. "I never thought we'd be one more tragedy / you and me / we're supposed to beat the odds... You hold on through thick and through thin / and when that kind of love doesn't win / what does?" And "A Lot Like Love" is a wistful look back at a lost love. Sometimes you don't realize what you have until it's gone. "Of all the memories good and bad / still find myself looking for what we had."

There are a few skip over tracks in my opinion simply because they feel geared toward a younger crowd. Advice is given to guys to "Just Add Moonlight" if you want a girl to fall in love with you. And "Let's Do Something Tonight" as long as it's worth talking about in the morning. They definitely had a particular audience in mind with these songs.

The final track is different from the other tracks and a favorite of mine. The harmonized "oooo-oooo" at the start hooked me in. "Prayer for the Road" is sung with feeling and emotion. And it was the perfect ending song to the road theme they had throughout the album.

Overall it's a fine album with a few bright spots, but they play it a little too safe for me.

C+