Dan + Shay - "Where It All Began"

[rsmatto]

Mar 27, 2014 11:37:03 GMT -5 bigfan101 said:

Mar 27, 2014 11:23:53 GMT -5 rsmatto said:

As wonderful and beautiful as "I Heard Goodbye" is, it's too much of a traditional sounding ballad for a new artist to pull off as a (country) radio hit. They seem to want only uptempo 'ballads.' As the 4th/5th single bridging into the second album's lead single, maybe. But honestly, They'll release "Show You Off" before "I Heard Goodbye." "Nothin' Like You" or "First Time Feeling" are likely to be the 'ballad' single from this record (and COULD be the "Winter 2014" relase you show here).

I agree with what your saying. I heard Goodbye is just such a strong song that I am hoping that it's not left on as an album cut

Right, like "One Mississippi" from Brett ELdredge. Though in "Goodbye"'s case, it's not listed on a the CD sticker like "One Mississippi" is for Brett ("Let It Go" and "What You DO To Me Are").

[countryfan4life]

They are going to be huge. I love every song on the album and I also agree that it's more early Rascal Flatts than FGL. So far "I Heard Goodbye," Stop Drop and Roll,""First Time Feeling" and "Show You Off" are my favorites.

I predicted after seeing them in September that they would be giving FGL a run, and they are definitely on the fast track to do so, a lot faster than I initially thought. I think I have to reconsider my prediction I made in 2014 Predictions thread. I may have underestimated Dan and Shay's potential success this year. I should have known considering the fact SirusXM The Highway played "19 You and Me" and they have a history with helping boost an artist's career (i.e. FGL). 

5. Brett Eldredge will have even more success and Scotty McCreery and Cole Swindell will be the break out stars. Scotty will finally get his first number 1 and a CMA New Artist nomination. Brett will definitely be in the first round for ACM New Artist of the Year along will Cole possibly.

8. Dan and Shay will continue rise but probably won't break out like the artists in #5.

[43dudleyvillas]

I took layne's Florida-Georgia Line comments as a statement about parallels, not a suggestion that Dan + Shay is making the same kind of music as F-GL. And before coming into this thread, I had the exact same thought as layne did...that there was a striking lack of sonic and thematic diversity on Where It All Began that is similar to the lack of sonic and thematic diversity on the F-GL album. I also agree that Dan + Shay is much, much better vocally, and that theirs is a much more romantic and charming take on summer love.

Where It All Began wore on me after the first six songs, not because the songs got less catchy but because I tired of their samey-ness. I understand the desire to make a cohesive album, but after a few songs, I wasn't feeling like each new tune offered much value added. It's really only "Can't Say No" and "Close Your Eyes" that offer some variety in melody here, and the album leaves nowhere to go if one is interested in hearing these guys talk about something other than young love. That's a shame, because there's enough here to make me a believer in their talent, but not enough to hold my interest. I also think the heavy production, while likely a concession to the power pop/rock bent of country radio today, doesn't allow Shay Mooney to flavor the lyrics. On the acoustic versions of these songs, he typically sounds more playful and emotionally engaged. He has a strong voice and Dan Smyers offers pleasing harmonies. But they aren't yet the type of singers who can sing over loud instrumentation without sacrificing character. I'm actually a little surprised they didn't go for a few more acoustic-leaning productions -- the strong rhythmic cadences in their songs lend themselves well to that style.

Mar 25, 2014 14:46:15 GMT -5 schoolsout said:

Mar 25, 2014 14:14:20 GMT -5 rsmatto said:

And the fact that young 20-something single guys are singing about girls and having a good time is bad/boring? I just don't get that logic. What do you expect them to sing about? Murder, death, hard times? They're writing about what they know. This feels more than just the 'duo tailored for females to like.' I know PLENTY of women who love FGL and there'll be plenty of men who really like Dan+Shay. All that being said, you're certainly entitled to your opinion.

Agreed. What else can you expect young men to write songs about? Obviously relationships, love, and heartbreak. ... Therefore, it will reflect their life experiences at ages 22 (Shay) & 26 (Dan). J

I've never found the "writing what they know"/"they're just twenty-somethings, what do you expect them to write about?" argument to be a good excuse for a lack of thematic diversity on an album. How old was Kacey Musgraves when she wrote "Merry Go Round," "Blowin' Smoke," "Follow Your Arrow," etc.? Do twenty-somethings not follow the news, do they not read books, do they not watch TV or movies with themes beyond spring break and romance?

I neither need nor want artists to restrict themselves to only that which they have directly experienced or seen. If they have to push themselves as writers and interpretive singers to expand the scope of their music beyond their navels, then it's for the better.

Mar 25, 2014 14:29:34 GMT -5 rsmatto said:

Because some folks (not necessarily you) on this very board were saying that Danielle Bradbery's first single wasn't 'authentic' or something like that because she was too young to have lived the story in the song she was singing about. So artists get crushed for singing about what they know or live and get crushed when they sing about what they haven't lived or personally witnessed.

As I pointed out to you during the discussion in her thread, the issue was less Danielle Bradbery's age and more her lack of emotional connection to the lyric. The problem wasn't that she hadn't lived that particular story, but that she is not yet a skilled enough interpreter to tell that story in a way that conveys the darkness that Dixie experienced, followed up the uplift of escape (well, Danielle did convey the uplift, to her credit). Her age, I think, was really only relevant for most to the extent that it explained her lack of experience as a singer.

Back to Dan + Shay. Criticisms notwithstanding, I think they have something here. There's a brightness and energy to the songs, the guys seem to have an very good ear for melodies, and they do a pretty good job of lyrics that scan well across the melodies. The rhythmic savvy in their tunes fits well in today's format, and for better or worse, makes them feel more current than Rascal Flatts and Hunter Hayes. They have the advantage of singing better than Hunter while being younger and better-looking than Rascal Flatts. I agree with those here who think that Dan + Shay could break through if they play their cards right.

Whether or not they do, I would like to hear music from them that shows that they've listened to country music that existed before Rascal Flatts, and I would also like for Shay Mooney to work on avoiding the Gary LeVox trap of unnecessarily dramatic phrasing. The obvious Flatts influence has the obvious effect of placing Dan + Shay in the country market and genre, so perhaps it was a good move to start. But "I Heard Goodbye," with an intro that desperately wants to be "Here Comes Goodbye," is beyond derivative, and there will come a time when Dan + Shay need to show that they've outgrown their imitative phase. So I'm not personally sold on this full album from them. But at the same time, it sounds to me like they have multiple hits here, and enough promise that I'll be interested to see where they go next.

[joey2002]

Mar 28, 2014 22:50:51 GMT -5 43dudleyvillas said:

Back to Dan + Shay. Criticisms notwithstanding, I think they have something here. There's a brightness and energy to the songs, the guys seem to have an very good ear for melodies, and they do a pretty good job of lyrics that scan well across the melodies. The rhythmic savvy in their tunes fits well in today's format, and for better or worse, makes them feel more current than Rascal Flatts and Hunter Hayes. They have the advantage of singing better than Hunter while being younger and better-looking than Rascal Flatts. I agree with those here who think that Dan + Shay could break through if they play their cards right.

Whether or not they do, I would like to hear music from them that shows that they've listened to country music that existed before Rascal Flatts, and I would also like for Shay Mooney to work on avoiding the Gary LeVox trap of unnecessarily dramatic phrasing. The obvious Flatts influence has the obvious effect of placing Dan + Shay in the country market and genre, so perhaps it was a good move to start. But "I Heard Goodbye," with an intro that desperately wants to be "Here Comes Goodbye," is beyond derivative, and there will come a time when Dan + Shay need to show that they've outgrown their imitative phase. So I'm not personally sold on this full album from them. But at the same time, it sounds to me like they have multiple hits here, and enough promise that I'll be interested to see where they go next.

The intro to "I Heard Goodbye" also immediately reminded me of "Here Comes Goodbye", but the the overall song seems quite different thanks to the acoustic sound.  I agree about the heavy production throughout much of the album though, and wish there were a few more acoustic ballads.  I think Dan + Shay have a few potential #1 hits on here, so hopefully after gaining some popularity, they can pursue more variety on their sophomore album.  

[layne]

Thank You 43dudleyvillas. "Parallels" was the exact term/comparison I was making and just couldn't express it in the way that you have.

[Spacey_Kacey]

Sorry to bump this just to post negative comments, but seriously? How is this so widely accepted? They both seem like nice guys, but this sound is not even remotely country even by today's standards (barring some of the ridiculous autotunes on the chart at the moment but I don't know if that's widely accepted yet). Halfway through listening to this album, I am dumbfounded. This sounds like the pop music of my childhood that made me hate post-1980 music until I was 15 or 16.


Listening further, I will give them some credit for making a catchy semi-country song in "Parking Brake". That's as strong of a compliment that this album will receive from me.

[rsmatto]

joey2002, until "acoustic ballads" are liked again by radio, there's no way radio-chasing bands will put all that many on their debut albums. Just the sad, true nature of Country music these days.

[schoolsout]

The album debuted at #1 on country iTunes chart and #3 on overall chart.

[McCreerian]

layne and Spacey_Kacey I totally agree.

I listened to ITunes 90 second samples of this album. By the end I was bored. All the songs sound the same...melody, harmony, pitch/range, even content. I think I heard the word lipstick in 3 different songs. And the high pitch vocals were annoying by track 12, really way before that, but I managed to make it to the end. They are bland. I'm sure they will be huge as their sound is carbon copy of early 00's Pop which seems to be making a comeback in multiple formats. They remind me a lot of BBMak and Evan & Jaron. Even their name structure is the same with Evan & Jaron. Ho Hum.

And I totally agree with what 43dudleyvillas is saying about songwriting. Good writers can write stories in their music that can be far beyond their age. It's all in the artistic imagination, not only life experience.

[layne]

ctryfan1980: Funny you mention the word lipstick, Cherry Red lipstick is used by Dan+Shay about as much as flint river, Dixie cups, dirty south, tailgate etc in all the bro songs I hear.

[McCreerian]

Apr 1, 2014 21:00:45 GMT -5 layne said:

ctryfan1980: Funny you mention the word lipstick, Cherry Red lipstick is used by Dan+Shay about as much as flint river, Dixie cups, dirty south, tailgate etc in all the bro songs I hear.

lol so it wasn't just me that caught that!

[countryfan4life]

Apr 1, 2014 20:42:14 GMT -5 McCreerian said:

And I totally agree with what 43dudleyvillas is saying about songwriting. Good writers can write stories in their music that can be far beyond their age. It's all in the artistic imagination, not only life experience.

I somewhat agree. I think what makes country artists special and relatable is that they write about/sing about life experiences.  For me, if an artist goes too far outside of what they experienced or what someone they know experienced their music becomes un-relatable. I guess the key is to blend the two without sacrificing anything on each end. I think Hunter Hayes has grasped this concept. 

Anyway I'm still loving this album and pretty much everyone driving on the highway knew I bought it yesterday. :) There's just something about them that's special. I have a feeling we have not seen everything Dan + Shay can do, and there's this whole other side to them that they will show on their music in the future. I'm really looking forward to watching their career grow. 

One more thing, it's not really related to the album, but it is truly amazing what a 20-25 minute opening act slot can do for a new artist. If I never saw Dan + Shay open for Hunter, I'm not sure if I would have been so excited about buying the album. I know some say that time slot is pointless because usually no one is really paying attention or that it's too short, but it's not really the case. It can do wonders for a brand new artist or one that is just about to breakthrough, because you never know who is in the crowd listening. 

[joey2002]

Apr 1, 2014 20:42:14 GMT -5 McCreerian said:

They remind me a lot of BBMak and Evan & Jaron. Even their name structure is the same with Evan & Jaron.

If they went by Evan + Jaron I'd be suspicious... ;)

Seriously though, I totally forgot about them, but "Crazy For This Girl" was one of my favorite non-country songs of the early 2000's.

[onebuffalo]

#1 country CD, #6 top 200 CD with 29,000 sold. Congratulations, Dan + Shay!