Emerson Drive - Emerson Drive

More of this Feature • CD Review: Emerson Drive • Emerson Drive Bio • Reviews by Jennifer • CD Review Index    Related Resources • Country Newcomers    Community • Country Chatroom • Country Forums    Elsewhere On The Web • Emerson Drive (Official) • Emerson Drive Tour Dates

Reviewed by Jennifer Webb

It seems that lately whenever I see a group that is consisted of nothing but men and they all look pretty cute, I will assume that they do not have much talent at all and are only in it for their image instead of music, but from the first time I saw their debut video, I knew that there was something special about the guys from Emerson Drive.

These guys are not new to performing, they were previously in a group called 12-Gage and compromised quite a lot just to get out on the road and make a name for themselves.

After the man wakes up, in "Evidence," he cannot believe that he found a girl as wonderful as he did, but he has the proof in that he can still smell her perfume and sees the lipstick on his white shirt. In other parts of the song we hear more evidence such as a message on his answering machine, or finding a strand of long blond hair that is not his.

On every album there always seems to be that one ballad or slow song that reaches out and grabs tugs at your heartstrings in some form, shape, or fashion, and the one on Emerson Drive would have to be "Only God (Could Stop Me Loving You)." Lead singer Brad Mates puts everything he has out there as he sings such tender lyrics as: "These arms, they will never hold another. These eyes, they are blind to any other. These lips, no other girl will ever kiss. This heart, it will always feel like this."

If you watch country music videos or listen to the radio at all, chances are you have seen or heard "I Should Be Sleeping," which is the upbeat debut single from the group. Releasing this as a first single, in my opinion, is a genius move because this is a tune that will (and does) appeal to pretty much anybody that likes country. The video features the guy's fun side as they ride around in a car or record the song in a studio, but then there is also Brad portraying the frustration of not being able to fall asleep because he keeps thinking about his girlfriend.

"I See Heaven" is another wonderful ballad about there being no comparison between the man's love interest and the most beautiful skies. She opened his eyes to a wonderful relationship, which is something he really has not experienced before; he has waited forever for the moment they shared together and it was absolutely perfect.

A very fun song to listen to is "Hollywood Kiss," which must be in the running for being the one song that has the most famous names in the span of three minutes. You will hear the names of anyone from Jean Harlow to Jennifer Lopez, and even Sophia Loren painting the imagery of just how great his girlfriend's kisses were. They were so amazing that they felt colossal, like something you would see on the big screen.

"It's All About You" is different, but in a very good way. Written by Jeffrey Steele and Reed Nielsen, it has to be my favorite up-tempo tune from this album because of its harder edge and the little bit of attitude that is expressed. Depending on how you sing the lyrics, this could be satirical and be in the same vein as Toby Keith's "I Wanna Talk About Me," but this song is quite the contrary because you can tell that the guy is serious about doing anything to make his girl happy.

For a group that toured for six years and finally landed in Nashville, only to play seven hours a night after four-hour rehearsals, Emerson Drive was a long time coming and boy did they ever hit it big with their self-titled debut on Dreamworks Records. Not only is it generally fun to listen to, you also hear the close bond between the group members in vocals and instruments played.

Song List:

1. Fall Into Me
2. Evidence
3. Passionate Desperate Love
4. Only God (Could Stop Me Loving You)
5. Say My Name
6. I Should Be Sleeping
7. Light Of Day
8. Looking Over My Shoulder
9. I See Heaven
10. How Lucky I Am
11. Hollywood Kiss
12. It's All About You