Published on Jan 29, 1998
It was inevitable — the country music industry is beginning to
groom successors to the genre’s throne, presently held by Garth
Brooks.
A whole new generation of artists who have been weaned on the
music that Brooks has produced for almost a decade are now making
their voices heard — in the hopes of eventually unseating their
mentor.
Well, you can add teenager Winston Slade’s name to that list —
his debut album
Focus shows that he’s learned his lessons well without
becoming a carbon copy of Brooks… but he’s not quite there
yet.
Admittedly, I’m not one of the biggest country music fans in the
world — the total number of country albums in the Pierce Archives
(one month to the Grammies) is definitely not above 100. But when
Slade focuses (no pun intended) on choosing good songs and giving
each one his best effort, the album takes off.
There are a few minor mistakes along the way. “The English
Language” features a chorus that is just annoying, and the song
never seems to get off the ground. And while I won’t knock anyone
for covering rockabilly legend Gene Vincent, this version of
“Be-Bop-A-Lula” is — perish the thought! — a little too
rock-oriented for me. Slade’s vocal delivery on this one, at least
until the final chorus — is too laid-back.
But for the few weak moments on
Focus, the strengths quickly wipe them from memory. “When
I’m Gone” is a lovely ballad that will fail to move only the
hardest heart, while the title track is a positive number that one
might not expect to hear in country music; I could easily see this
one fitting in on the radio. Even a throwaway subject like that of
“Kissing Coach” wins the listener over on the strength of the
performances and vocals.
And it’s not that
Focus is a feel-good country album — not with songs like
“Every Time You Go Outside I Hope It Rains,” a surprisingly good
song. But for the most part, the general vibe on this one isn’t a
negative one — and, in a sense, this is a refreshing change of
pace.
The one disappointment I can find is that Slade is constantly
relying on outside material; not one of these songs features a
writing credit for Slade. I would like to see what kind of writing
talents Slade has — he’s almost got the performance thing down
pat.
Focus is a powerfully strong debut album that brings into
the spotlight quite possibly the next household country name. With
another coat or two of paint — and a lot of lucky breaks — Slade
will quickly get his chance, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing
this happen.