EP Review: Chris Lane’s ‘Fix’

There is a lot of buzz out there these days concerning North Carolina native Chris Lane. The singer, who is the inaugural artist signed to Big Loud Mountain, recently wrapped up a stint on the successful tour from Florida Georgia Line, and is making an impact at radio with his current single, “Fix.” But, I’ve got to be honest – at times on this disc, I just don’t get it.

That’s not a knock on Lane, per se. His music is entertaining enough, and in the case of the 90s’ pop-styled “Stolen Car,” quite compelling. In fact, I think that track, along with the pretty sheen of “For Her,” are very much worth listening to time and again. That’s the good news.

On the other hand (sounds like a song title, doesn’t it?), I am not quite sure who Chris Lane is as an artist. Sometimes he reminds me of Sam Hunt, other times, Florida Georgia Line – maybe a little too much. I just don’t hear a lot here that distinguishes him apart from the pack. On tracks like the single, “Fix,” there’s not much that is different from a Hunt cut, and on grooves like “Her Own Kind of Beautiful,” there’s too much of a likeness to FGL. And, though I don’t think Country sounds today have to be reminiscent of thirty years ago on every track, this sounds like it might be a little too slick and a little too trendy at times. That being said, I do think that Lane and producer Joey Moi struck a very clever tone with the production and instrumentation of “Who’s It Gonna Be,” which I could see as having some potential at radio.

Overall, I’m not saying the EP is a bad one, but I don’t know if the boundaries of the format haven’t been pushed as far as they need to be right now. Lane does have a memorable falsetto, and undeniable charisma, but I’m just not feeling the buzz as strong as everyone else here.