“Musta Had A Good Time” is the record that showcases this new sound’s archetype with the band’s playing accented by production from NV (Jason Aldean’s backing band and RedBow artist David Fanning). This tune broke into the Top 40 in 2012 before Parmalee released “Carolina” and it helped to break the ice with radio presenting Parmalee to the world. “Carolina” was the perfect break out single for Parmalee as it showed their softer, more less-in-your-face side than “Good Time” and that allowed more fans to enjoy the sound presented by quartet of vocalist/guitarist Matt Thomas, drummer Scott Thomas, basset Barry Knox and lead guitarist Josh McSwain, who all hail from the same town ( Scott and Matt are brothers and Barry is their cousin while Josh is their long-time close friend who joined the band when it formed in 2001).
The record kicks-off with the laid-back, sing-a-long ready “Day Drinkin’,” a song that fits right in with Carolina’s mid tempo modern country rock sound while “Move” is modern melodically country mood to the lyrics with a chorus that feels a little bit more rock in approach that may be a bit ‘abrasive’ to some at first but after listening a few times the song’s sound and lyrics (written by Brandon Kinney, Ben Daniel and Arlis Albriton) is too hard to resit and at the very least will make for a great Concert song, if not a potential radio hit. “Close Your Eyes” and “Dance” both come from that mid-tempo, love song, night time kind of song that has been the stock and trade of many hits while “Think You Oughta Know That” has a pretty melody (one of 6 writen and/or co-written by members of Parmalee) and a sing-a-long ready power ballad chorus that screams radio hit.
Another potential big hit is “Back In The Day,” a song written by artist Chris Janson, LoCash Cowboy Preston Brust, Ben Stennis and Jaron Boyer that takes the nostalgia of growing up and spins it into a likable mid-tempo yarn while “Already Callin’ You Mine” tells a story that often happens when love is starting out, where a guy is thinking about getting to know everything about that new girl. Craig Wiseman and Keith Anderson give Parmalee the rockin’ sing-a-long party tune “I’ll Bring The Music,” a song which recalls — at times — Blake Shelton’s “Boys ‘Round Here” melodically.
Perhaps the most-personal song on the album, “Another Day Gone” finds the band singing about the things they want to do to make sure their life is right for everyone they love in it and that there are no grudges or any strife left in their life because nothing is guaranteed, something they learned when Scott Thomas was nearly killed right before the band got signed to Stoney Creek Records. It is songs like this — even if it leans more to Modern Rock than Modern Country Rock sonically — that showcase the strong potential of Parmalee to be one of the next great bands in Country Music. Feels Like Carolinashowcases a tight band with a strong ear for melodies and lyrics which suit the same part of the genre which is also home to Eric Church and Jason Aldean, among others.
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