Keith Anderson sold over 500,000 copies of his debut album “Three Chords Country & American Rock & Roll” but somehow saw his career stall in 2007 when a couple singles failed to rise to the top 10 like “Pickin’ Wildflowers” and “Every Time I Hear Your Name.” So rather than rush “C’Mon” out to the market, Keith and his label decided to delay releasing the album until “I Still Miss You” took off. And take off it did. The single was released in the spring of 2008 and by the time of the album’s release in early August, the single was nestled inside the Top 10 at radio.
The title track leads off the record and immediately sets a country-rock pace. Written by Anderson and Dallas Davidson (who co-wrote Honky Tonk Badonkadonk with Randy Houser and Jamey Johnson), the song is a blast of countrified rock n roll. If one can imagine an AC/DC song gone country, “C’MON!” might just be that song. It’s the beginning of three tracks (which include “Break My Heart Again” and “Somebody Needs A Hug”) where rock riffs and bluesy grooves drive the melody as Keith sings about matters of the heart.
While some folks would say that “I Still Miss You” features a similar theme to Keith’s other hit ballad “Every Time I Hear Your Name,” the lyrics actually talk about different ways of dealing with the end of a relationship. “Crazy Over You” features Foster & Lloyd on harmony vocals and this song has a strong two-step country beat and strong lyrics about a dude who is known around town to be head-over-heels for a girl. It was a hit for Foster & Lloyd twenty years ago and should be able to be a hit for Anderson again.
With echoes of 1980’s neo-tradionalism, the torch ballad “I Ain’t Hurting Nobody But Me” features a strong steel-guitar soaked honky tonk teardrop melody that finds Anderson sitting at a bar and discussing how he’s drinking his baby goodbye (responsibly of course). “Adaliene” uses a tattoo to tell a story of a woman who impacted a man tremendously. It’s a well-written (with Jeffrey Steele and Chris Wallin) story song.
Keith Anderson had originally recorded “Lost In This Moment” for his album but saw his co-writer John Rich record the song and release it as a single. The song became a huge Number 1 hit for Big & Rich and now it’s featured on Keith’s album. The album closes with “Closest I’ve Ever Been,” co-written with Bobby Pinson. The song discusses all the stupid stuff one can do to get the “closest” they’ve ever been to things. It’s a strong way to end an album that shows Keith Anderson as an artist who not only will survive any sophomore slump” but should actually see his career climb to higher depths with the amount of radio hits to pull from “C’MON!”
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