Album Review: Chris Janson’s ‘Buy Me A Boat’
One of the great stories of Country music in 2015 has been the emergence of Chris Janson, due to his unlikely hit single “Buy Me A Boat.” Janson has been an artist that many in the industry have championed for a little while. In addition to being one of the truly nice guys in the business, Janson’s musical acumen is a trait that you can’t ignore. He’s what is known in the business as a “Triple Threat” – he is lethal as a singer, instrumentalist, and live performer. (Oops… make that a quadruple threat, as I didn’t even mention his songwriting!) He has studied from the feet and the voices of the legends – and it shows.
That being said, Buy Me A Boat isn’t exactly what I would call a retro album – say in the tradition of a Storms of Life from Randy Travis. This album is very much slanted with a lot of today’s sounds. However, even when Janson sprinkles that into his music, you still buy it. It’s a part of him that is as natural as any sound out there.
As a singer, Janson really seems to score rather high when he’s playing a little bit of a whimsical tone, as he does on the hit title cut and the second release, “The Power Of Positive Drinkin’.” You can’t help but listen to either and not get a smile on your face – and that’s the hallmark of Janson’s sound. It’s not always about heavy subjects. Sometimes music is just about having fun, and the Missouri native lives up to that description here.
He also scores on the uptempo flavor of “Right In The Middle,” “Save A Little Sugar,” and “Back In My Drinkin’ Days,” where he proves that he has listened to a little bit of Charlie Daniels in his days. “White Trash” is an example of where, with another male vocalist, I might not believe the lyrics as much – but Janson touches a nerve with anyone who has ever felt a little less than, making them want to fist pump into the air and go “Hell Yeah.”
The duet with Tim McGraw, “Messin’ With Jesus,” has a light-hearted flair that you will love – as well as the 80s-ish “Holdin’ Her,” which evokes memories of recordings from that era from George Strait and Keith Whitley.
Proving that he is not simply a one-style trick pony, the singer also proves his mettle on a couple of ballad performances that you will no doubt love – “Where You Came In” and the vocal statement “Holdin’ Her,” a song that he co-wrote with James Otto that – at least to my ears – as the term “Single” written all over it. If this isn’t a hit single, I will be very surprised.
Look for Janson to continue to develop even more as he goes along. I think he has the talent and the intangibles to be one of the next big stars of the Country format. And, he’s only just begun!
