kirkw
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Post by kirkw on Feb 2, 2014 11:35:01 GMT -5
For being a mid-level quality song to do as well as it has so far at country radio just shows what an exceptional talent Chris Young is. It's only a matter of time his voice will mesh with the right traditional sounding country song and his career will skyrocket. Timing is everything, but I think he's going to remain relevant when the tide turns back from where it is now and he'll be there to carry the flag. He's the best of the young pure country music singers there is in my opinion. In my 50 plus years love of country music, I can count on one hand those who were as good or better singing country music than this guy.
Real country music will be cool again, and I think sooner than most people expect. It's like fashion. What goes around comes around in time. I think many would agree the current trends have gotten pretty stale.
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Kentucky25
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Post by Kentucky25 on Feb 3, 2014 9:45:03 GMT -5
For being a mid-level quality song to do as well as it has so far at country radio just shows what an exceptional talent Chris Young is. It's only a matter of time his voice will mesh with the right traditional sounding country song and his career will skyrocket. Timing is everything, but I think he's going to remain relevant when the tide turns back from where it is now and he'll be there to carry the flag. He's the best of the young pure country music singers there is in my opinion. In my 50 plus years love of country music, I can count on one hand those who were as good or better singing country music than this guy. Real country music will be cool again, and I think sooner than most people expect. It's like fashion. What goes around comes around in time. I think many would agree the current trends have gotten pretty stale. That's my thoughts. As someone who was all about "bro-country" when it started I'm more than tired of it now (19 years old so I'm right in the demographic that's eating this is up). Most people I know that like the music today are either big fans of a particular singer's voice or pop fans that occasionally like a uptempo country tune. I do think that even the artists are gonna get bored with these type of songs and eventually we'll see a turn towards more traditional country lyrics (we may still have the loud guitars and such, but gimme killer lyrics and loud guitars over the same general lyric storyline over and over).
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kirkw
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Post by kirkw on Mar 4, 2014 14:12:12 GMT -5
Watch this single take off over the next few weeks. My first thought when I first heard this it was pretty average and nothing different than what we've heard before from other artists. I have to say, this might be undervalued. It's wearing very well over time and I think is among the next to break through and when it does, it's going to blow up big. This track has some power and heft than most would have believed. What an extraordinary voice and delivery which elevates an average written song to great heights. This guy's vocal talent is unmatched in today's country music.
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zjames
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Post by zjames on Mar 4, 2014 20:42:46 GMT -5
I thought this might grow on me as it goes up the charts, but I've just come to like it even less. It feels generic and forced to me, as if Young isn't singing with any real passion especially in the verses; they sound a little boring to be honest. Young takes it up a notch in the chorus, but I wish the verses were a little more interesting.
The lyrics also are completely generic and nondescript:
I've been a rolling stone all my life Flying all alone, flying blind I've seen it all, I've been around I've been lost and I've been found but...
Seen what? Been where? Maybe I'm just being annoyingly critical, but I feel I can't really buy into the emotion that he's supposed to be conveying. The like what the song is trying to share, but I can't help but feel disappointed at such a generic song when I know he's capable of so much more. Chris has certainly let me down with his first two singles in the A.M. era.
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churchchoir
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Post by churchchoir on Mar 5, 2014 10:28:06 GMT -5
To me, this is a watered down version of "The Man I Wanna Be" and "Goodbye" is a watered down version of "Tomorrow." I still like both of those ballads better than "Aw Naw," but I agree that Chris has been pretty underwhelming this era. Maybe if sales for this turn out better than "Aw Naw"'s sales, Chris will focus more on his ballads with the next album.
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mylifeback
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Post by mylifeback on Mar 5, 2014 12:20:53 GMT -5
I really loved Neon & am a huge huge fan of Chris' smooth voice in general, but yeah, this album isn't quite on par with the track list of Neon. I love Chris' ballads when you can really hear his beautiful tone.
Still like hearing this one on the radio, though.
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kirkw
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Post by kirkw on Mar 5, 2014 12:30:45 GMT -5
To me, this is a watered down version of "The Man I Wanna Be" and "Goodbye" is a watered down version of "Tomorrow." I still like both of those ballads better than "Aw Naw," but I agree that Chris has been pretty underwhelming this era. Maybe if sales for this turn out better than "Aw Naw"'s sales, Chris will focus more on his ballads with the next album. It's pretty apparent the disappointing performance of "Neon" single at country radio forced a change in direction with "A.M." plus he wanted more up-tempo fare for his live shows which needed to occur. The dilemma is as critically acclaimed "Neon" was, it didn't sell as well as "the Man I Want to Be." He needed to adjust to remain relevant in this non-traditional era, however it seems pretty obvious at this point his song choices haven't clicked in terms of sales. Surprising to me this CD hasn't performed better than it has, but I'll concede most people just aren't buying what he's selling. His talent is far better than how his career has tracked, I'm pretty convinced of that.
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goodsoul81
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Post by goodsoul81 on Mar 19, 2014 13:35:37 GMT -5
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Kari
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Post by Kari on Mar 19, 2014 15:17:33 GMT -5
Still sticking to my guns. Love the song and the video is great. Nice to see Chris added to the Lineup at LP Field for CMA Fest too :)
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Ten Pound Hammer
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Post by Ten Pound Hammer on Mar 19, 2014 17:52:50 GMT -5
I think this song is a little overproduced. The first chorus is just like WHAM, big wall of sound out of nowhere. And it sounds a bit derivative of "The Man I Want to Be". Still pretty good though.
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kirkw
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Post by kirkw on Mar 20, 2014 16:45:51 GMT -5
Still sticking to my guns. Love the song and the video is great. Nice to see Chris added to the Lineup at LP Field for CMA Fest too :) Amazing to me this guy isn't a major star with the talent he has. He's as good a country singer as there ever was. I get why they stepped up the more heavy rock oriented sound for A.M. The traditional country sound wasn't selling. My only complaint here was "Goodbye" and "Lonely Eyes" were better single choices than this one because those two tracks are better written and more original. I think "Who I Am With You" will still do as well as most of his other singles at radio have done, but it just won't move the needle like "Goodbye" would do. I think "Text Me Texas" is a really good song as well. Just my opinion for whatever it's worth.
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onebuffalo
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Post by onebuffalo on Mar 20, 2014 16:58:33 GMT -5
I am almost wondering if Chris Young will have another #1 hit. I wonder if he peaked between 2009-2012 when he had his string of five consecutive chart topping hits. I hope I am wrong here.
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renee75
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Post by renee75 on Mar 20, 2014 18:27:34 GMT -5
I'm starting to think that it won't happen until all the bro-country singers have had their 15 minutes of fame, and vanished from the scene. (Though I'm starting to believe that'll never happen. Luke Bryan will still be out there swiveling those hips when he's 90 and has had both hips replaced.) When everyone is promoting the trucks-beer-and-bare-legs songs like mad, I'm afraid there isn't any room for a traditional-sounding singer with a gorgeous voice and lyrics that actually mean something. Terrible but true.
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bluedog6
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Post by bluedog6 on Apr 8, 2014 19:43:45 GMT -5
This song is starting to grow on me (a little bit). When I hear the first verse, every time I think of Randy Travis. Then as it progresses to the chorus, the song morphs into layers of vocals and "blah blah blah" that makes it sound like every single of every other male artist out there. Then we go back to the second verse and it's back to a more "organic" Randy Travis-esque feel to it. Then back to the non-descript chorus. I'm not sure why producers are so fond of doing this. I have the same criticism of many of Miranda Lambert's songs. I love Chris's smooth vocals though when he is singing by himself with no layers of other vocals. That alone will make me give this song a hesitant thumbs up.
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kirkw
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Post by kirkw on Apr 9, 2014 10:59:47 GMT -5
This song is starting to grow on me (a little bit). When I hear the first verse, every time I think of Randy Travis. Then as it progresses to the chorus, the song morphs into layers of vocals and "blah blah blah" that makes it sound like every single of every other male artist out there. Then we go back to the second verse and it's back to a more "organic" Randy Travis-esque feel to it. Then back to the non-descript chorus. I'm not sure why producers are so fond of doing this. I have the same criticism of many of Miranda Lambert's songs. I love Chris's smooth vocals though when he is singing by himself with no layers of other vocals. That alone will make me give this song a hesitant thumbs up. I agree with you. I thought a few weeks back this was undervalued. I still think "Goodbye" or "Lonely Eyes" are far better written songs and would have performed much better than this choice and sold more CDs, but it's Young's voice and talent that lifts this ordinary song to heights it would not have attained in lesser hands. I think "Text Me Texas" has a big upside with it's unique sound. Just think what this artist could do with more real cutting edge stellar material recorded in an innovative traditional leaning sound. He also needs to surround himself with the very best tunesmiths Nashville has to offer that can take full advantage of this rare true country voice. He does this, he can become one of the biggest stars country music has ever had. Too much talent here to not stand out from the crowd.
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Cody Wants Out...
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Post by Cody Wants Out... on Apr 9, 2014 12:04:03 GMT -5
I find it kinda funny; while I was streaming this album on Amazon last September, this turned out to be one of my favorites out of a pretty disproportionate album from softer fare like "Goodbye" and "Text Me Texas" to radio-ready stuff like this one, "Hold You To It" and maybe the title track and an unfortunate handful of clunkers like the lead single. After listening to this on the radio a few times, I'm not that enthusiastic about this single anymore. Of course, I hope it'll become another top 10 for him, but it doesn't stand out as much as I thought it did.
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on Apr 9, 2014 12:25:20 GMT -5
Chris Young was one of my Top 3 male vocalists (the other two being Josh Turner and David Nail) in country music for his last two eras, but A.M. is a pretty awful album. The only reason I even have it in my music library is because my mom bought it. I am very disappointed with his new music and I hope he reverts back to the style of his last two records, because he's seriously squandering such great vocal talent.
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kirkw
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Post by kirkw on Apr 21, 2014 9:49:52 GMT -5
With this climbing so slow, I fear there will only be 1 more single released from the album. This is my first Chris Young album I have and I think it's way better then his previous ones (I listened to clips on iTunes). I didn't like "Aw Naw" that much, but I really enjoy this. I love the first lyrics: "I've been a rolling stone all my life Flying all alone, flying blind I've seen it all, I've been around I've been lost and I've been found". That always hits me. Anyways, I am hoping for "A.M." as the next single! Chris's biggest problem right now is this CD and individual tracks have not sold as well as "Neon" which didn't sell as well as "The Man I Want to Be." This exceptionally talented singer just hasn't found the right sound and the songs to match. One would think he has enough to attract the right people who believe in his talent and the resources to back it up for him to elevate his career to a level that matches his world class talent and overall persona. Be a real shame if that never occurred. To me, it's overall song writing that's not as good as it could be. He also needs a more innovative sound which we've already heard in small doses like "Text Me Texas." Doesn't seem the rock sound works for his voice and style. That rare pure country voice is tempered somewhat sonically on his latest project, with the exception of "Text Me Texas." He needs to sing about subjects more than love and love gone wrong. Certainly he shouldn't quit doing love songs, but I'd like to hear a wider variety of songs and storytelling like "The Shoebox" "The Dashboard" "The Flashlight" or other meatier material that draws in the guys as well as women. Above all, he needs to keep it country because that's who he is. I actually don't think it's necessarily bad for him record lighter more up-tempo fare like A.M. as long as it compliments, not overpowers material that should be his bread and butter. It's why his last CD should have been titled from a missing track that could have been a better lead single than something called "Aw Naw" which really wasn't as bad as the title suggests, but a better title than any of the current tracks. "Aw Naw" was such a departure from what people were used to hearing that it gave the impression the rest of the CD was just like that, which it wasn't. Still quite a bit of the same type of material he's done in the past here, but the impression to many was he'd sold out and changed his entire style, which in reality he hasn't. Different ways of using fiddle and steel would be cool and compliment his voice. Not many could pull that off, but I bet Chris Young could.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 21, 2014 19:18:22 GMT -5
This song just bores me to tears. It's just so painfully average. And yet I hope it does well, because I do like Chris and I'd rather hear a generic somewhat-country-sounding song rather than a bunch of hip-hop bro stuff.
This one is doing alright and I think it'll probably be a solid top 10 but I don't know if it can get him all the way back to #1 again. I just hope his next single is better.
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kirkw
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Post by kirkw on May 5, 2014 8:50:36 GMT -5
Thought this might take off at some point and the time is now. Stations are converting.
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sabre14
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Post by sabre14 on May 5, 2014 17:16:03 GMT -5
^ Yeah this is now really starting to take off with a bullet of 623 on Mediabase today. As much as I have pointed out how boring Blake's new single is, Chris' really isn't much better to me in terms of holding my interest. Every time it comes on the radio, I just can't help but tune it out. To be honest I'm hard pressed to even remember most of the chorus to this song. I do agree with jhomes87 that I'd rather "Who I Am With You" fare well (which is looking like it right now) cause I do love Chris' voice and much of his previous singles ("Aw Naw" excluded). I'm not the biggest fan of his album A.M but I do know there were better songs to be had for singles than these first two. But I still see this song going top 5 at least and that would mean Chris has consecutive top 5's from this album with three straight overall. I'm just praying that Chris ends up releasing more "Neon's", "Tommorow's", and "You're Gonna Love Me's" in the future and less "Who I Am With You's" and certainly less "Aw Naw's".
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someguy
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Post by someguy on May 5, 2014 20:45:36 GMT -5
Chris is someone whose voice I like, but I've never really liked his songs (outside of "Voices" and "Love Don't Let Me Down"). This one is no exception. I find it quite boring. While not awful by any means, I definitely don't go out of my way to listen to it. I can see Chris becoming one of those artists who get lost in the shuffle, unless he starts releasing more memorable music.
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carriekins
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Post by carriekins on May 5, 2014 22:06:51 GMT -5
This is background music at its best (worst?)... right up there with most of Blake's recent catalog. Zzzzz...
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on May 5, 2014 22:45:36 GMT -5
Chris was one of my favorite male vocalists during his last two album eras, but he really fell off the rails with A.M. for me and it's a shame to see. Aside from the random under-performance of "Neon" at radio, it's not as if his neo-traditional style wasn't working, so I hope that he goes more back in that direction.
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kirkw
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Post by kirkw on May 6, 2014 19:13:01 GMT -5
Chris was one of my favorite male vocalists during his last two album eras, but he really fell off the rails with A.M. for me and it's a shame to see. Aside from the random under-performance of "Neon" at radio, it's not as if his neo-traditional style wasn't working, so I hope that he goes more back in that direction. The problem Chris has had is "A.M" hasn't sold as well as "Neon" which didn't sell as well as "The Man I Want to Be." I get why he's gone the direction he has to stay relevant at today's country radio because "Neon" CD performed way less than expected. Radio play is keeping him in the game at this point although I do agree his material will need to ramp up in a big way to become a big time seller. A.M. is really a better CD than most would have us believe as most of the tracks here are better than what we've heard on the radio thus far. With the voice and talent he has, I would think the very best traditional song writers in Nashville would be lining up to pitch their songs to him. He does have what it takes to make country cool again. It's why I don't think he'll get lost in the shuffle any time soon. Too much talent for that and he's still under 30. If I had to rate the tracks on A.M. 1. Forgiveness 2. Text Me Texas 3. Goodbye 4. Lonely Eyes 5. Nothin But the Cooler Left 6. Lighters in the Air 7. A.M. 8. Hold You To It 9. Aw Naw 10. Who I Am With You 11. We're Gonna Find It Tonight
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2014 19:18:16 GMT -5
The problem Chris has had is "A.M" hasn't sold as well as "Neon" which didn't sell as well as "The Man I Want to Be." I get why he's gone the direction he has to stay relevant at today's country radio because "Neon" CD performed way less than expected. Radio play is keeping him in the game at this point although I do agree his material will need to ramp up in a big way to become a big time seller. With the voice and talent he has, I would think the very best traditional song writers in Nashville would be lining up to pitch their songs to him. He does have what it takes to make country cool again. It's why I don't think he'll get lost inthe shuffle any time soon. Too much talent for that and he's still under 30. The thing is, though, that about 95% of all country artists are seeing a decline in sales from album to album. Unless you're named FGL, Luke, or Blake, no one's current albums are really out-selling any of their previous stuff. I don't doubt that Chris has good long-term prospects, though. This song is top 15 on the iTunes country chart...so the digital sales are really responding to the airplay as well. I'm starting to think that "Who I Am With You" could be his biggest hit since "Tomorrow" and "Voices".
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jferstler
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Post by jferstler on May 6, 2014 21:02:35 GMT -5
I would think that the people on this site would like Chris Young. Aw Naw is the only single he has released that I didn't enjoy. This is actually one of my favorites this year. I find myself singing a long to it all the time is exactly the type of music I enjoy hearing on the radio more so then "uh uh uh I got dat real good feel good stuff up under the seat of my big black jacked up truck"
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carriekins
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Post by carriekins on May 6, 2014 21:11:13 GMT -5
I would think that the people on this site would like Chris Young. Aw Naw is the only single he has released that I didn't enjoy. This is actually one of my favorites this year. I find myself singing a long to it all the time is exactly the type of music I enjoy hearing on the radio more so then "uh uh uh I got dat real good feel good stuff up under the seat of my big black jacked up truck" Oh I very much enjoy Chris. He has an amazing voice and I'll concede that yes, this does present a nice reprieve from the amazing Luke lyrics you just quoted. ;) This song, though (and Aw Naw as well) just isn't really doing it for me. I guess I just so thoroughly enjoyed Neon that this whole album seems so ... safe? maybe? His vocals are still good. The song is in his wheelhouse. He performs it well. It just bores me. (Maybe he'll move me this weekend opening for Dierks? Stranger things have happened. :) )
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jferstler
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Post by jferstler on May 6, 2014 21:23:41 GMT -5
I would think that the people on this site would like Chris Young. Aw Naw is the only single he has released that I didn't enjoy. This is actually one of my favorites this year. I find myself singing a long to it all the time is exactly the type of music I enjoy hearing on the radio more so then "uh uh uh I got dat real good feel good stuff up under the seat of my big black jacked up truck" Oh I very much enjoy Chris. He has an amazing voice and I'll concede that yes, this does present a nice reprieve from the amazing Luke lyrics you just quoted. ;) This song, though (and Aw Naw as well) just isn't really doing it for me. I guess I just so thoroughly enjoyed Neon that this whole album seems so ... safe? maybe? His vocals are still good. The song is in his wheelhouse. He performs it well. It just bores me. (Maybe he'll move me this weekend opening for Dierks? Stranger things have happened. :) ) I would definitely agree that AM did not live up to Neon. I really enjoyed Neon and about every song on it. The AM album only has 3 tracks I enjoyed. Who I Am With You, Text Me Texas, and Goodbye. In that order too.
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on May 7, 2014 0:11:21 GMT -5
The Man I Want to Be and Neon are both solid albums, even though each has a song or two that I'm not particularly crazy about. But A.M. is a record I didn't even want to buy (my mom did, so I have it in my music library - but I have listened to it only a few times), and Chris Young is one of my top guys in the genre (along with Josh Turner and David Nail). Even the stronger tracks on this album (Lonely Eyes and Goodbye i.e.) are still a big step below almost everything on his last two sets imo.
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