If you are a fan of artists like Dierks Bentley, Jason Aldean, and Trent Tomlinson, you should get a copy of Zane Lewis' self-titled album. There's tons of energy and attitude if you like it and Zane also knows how to take it down a notch to sing a wonderful slow song. Lex Lipsitz and Brett James shared producing duties on the twelve tracks.
"Welcome To The Southland" details various aspects about living in the south and makes no apologies for it. From cracking open a beer and "shooting the breeze" in a Wal Mart parking lot, to cranking up some Hank and going to church on Sunday - there's no other way of living when it's something you've known all your life.
In "She's Got It Goin' On," "sugar sweet and whiskey strong" is one way to describe the woman who is holding the man's current interest. It sounds like he had his chance back in high school, but let her get away because he didn't think she was his type. Now he says if he knew back then what she'd be like today he would treat her "like a holiday." Everything about her (from the way she walks, to the way she talks) is worth noticing.
Zane knows how to rock out on a song, but the album's first single ("Come With Me") shows a different side. There's a bit of pleading to the vocals as well as some promise. All he wants is for his baby to be with him wherever he goes so they can hang out and be together as much as possible. They might not be certain where things will go, but for now they can enjoy each other's company.
The next song is all about "Leavin'" and how a woman decided to pack up and head out to California. He knows their town was too small for her and she needed to pursue her dreams and have enough space for her wings to fly. The song starts out with mentions of the couple back in high school when they felt like they had it all.
Zane co-wrote "Fly" with one of my favorite Texas music artists, Jamie Richards. It's hard taming a gypsy soul, so he knows he must say goodbye to a lady before he leaves again. Wiping a tear from her eye and kissing her one last time, the man reassures her and says she will be better in time, but he can't help his need for the open road. "My feet are never planted on the ground" sums up his feelings.
"A Helluva Time" is what the man is having after a woman left him - but it's not in the way you might expect. He's out doing some drinking and partying instead of sitting at home by himself. "I can't help but laugh out loud if I'd a known then what I know now you never could have hurt me," he says, because he never would have loved her in the first place. The upbeat, barroom-styled music goes along perfectly with the "so there" attitude in the lyrics.
Release date: March 25, 2008 - Slant Records
Track List:
- Welcome To The Southland
- She's Got It Goin' On
- Come With Me
- Everything I Want
- Leavin'
- This'll Be A Memory
- Fly
- Off The Record
- A Helluva Time
- Becky Brown's Daddy
- Bad Ass Country Band
- Even A Leaf
