A biased song review: Bucky Covington and Shooter Jennings, "Drinking Side of Country" (at iTunes now!)

Bucky Covington and Shooter Jennings sound great in this crystal clear audio-only clip of "Drinking Side of Country"--thanks to pcolson90 for posting it at YouTube.  (For the full-on, wild-ride "Dukes of Hazzard"-inspired music video featuring Kellie Pickler, Mickie James,  Kenny Bartram and lots of Daisy Duke wearing beauties, head on over to YouTube and/or Maxim.com.) Bucky's September 2012 album, Good Guys, is available for pre-order at Amazon, and the single is available at iTunes now.

Well, it's safe to say we're not on Lyric Street any more!

Bucky Covington's three big hits with his former label, the Disney-owned Lyric Street Records, were a trio made up of a beautifully nostalgic mid-tempo toe-tapper ("A Different World"), a fast-paced, exhilarating love song ("It's Good to Be Us"), and a sensitive, heart-tugging ballad ("I'll Walk"). We truly loved them all--still do!--but Bucky's longtime fans knew he'd also handle a thumpin' Southern country party anthem brilliantly.  Many of us hoped that "Bible and the Belt", a strong and gritty cut from his debut album Bucky Covington, would be his fourth Lyric Street single.  During the long delay between albums, new songs, presumably from what would have been Bucky's sophomore Lyric Street CD, were added to his live set, and the gratifyingly rowdy "Evel Knievel"  became a sing-along concert favorite, but as far as we know it was never released to radio on its own. 

Folks, we finally--finally--got our Bucky Covington Southern country party anthem single right here, and it's more than we could have asked for (and to be a little politically incorrect, it's much more than I suspect Lyric Street would have let us enjoy.)  "Drinking Side of Country" was written by Bucky with his longtime co-writers Rocky Covington and Ducky Medlock, it was produced by Bucky, and it features the distinctive vocals of the awesome (not gonna lie)  Shooter Jennings, who certainly knows a thing or two about the joys of calling one's own artistic shots.

Lyrically, "Drinking Side of Country" does indeed cover some familiar party song territory (no-strings-attached affection and plenty-of-strings-attached trouble are easy to find when one is a traveling musician--yep) but it does so with humor, sly charm and the unmistakable ring of authenticity.  You don't doubt that these guys have lived--and laughed at--much of what they're singing about,  and that alone allows it to transcend the "laundry list" accusations that some might lob.  And musically...well, let's talk about that hook.  (You're singing it in your head right now, aren't you? "We roll, we roll, we roll...on down the highway..." Catchy?  You bet. )

Needless to say, I'm enjoying this a lot.  If you've been here since the beginning of Buckymania, when one of Bucky's self-penned songs, "Can't Be Wrong", made us all aware that there was a lot more to him than Idol-sanctioned covers, you're doubly happy about his fall single being one of his own co-written compositions.  "Drinking Side of Country" may also be the most polarizing single Bucky's released to date, and even that's a good thing, if you think about it--sometimes trying to please everyone makes an artist ultimately displeased with himself.  Bucky is who he is--the straightforward, talented guy who can bring a tear to your eye with "I'll Walk" and bring a knowing smile to your face with "Drinking Side of Country"--and that's one of the many reasons we dig him so much.

We can't wrap this up without saying a word or two about the already semi-controversial video directed by Blake Judd, which is nothing like any music video Bucky's done before.  Bucky, unlike many of the male singers who we came to know via a certain TV show, has the advantage of a strong fan base from both sexes, and this particular video is definitely one for the guys.  There are those who'll miss the prominent shot of paintballs in the back seat of the car, and those who'll miss the point that the whole thing is an affectionate spoof of the "Dukes of Hazzard" aesthetic rather than a literal Design for Living.  But nobody, and I mean nobody, is going to fail to notice the overabundance of gorgeous babes, or the sexy cameos by Kellie Pickler and Mickie James.  It's caused quite a buzz already, and it's been linked from the front page of Yahoo--a big advantage for a brand new single.

Bottom line: "Drinking Side of Country" is a smart and worthy follow-up to the lovely, romantic "I Wanna Be That Feeling", and it shows off a funny, rowdy, endearing side of Bucky's musical personality.  He's a versatile performer, and the two very different, very cool songs already released from his upcoming Good Guys album underscore that point beautifully.  We're looking forward to a fantastic fall!--W

Pre-order Bucky's upcoming eOne album, Good Guys, at Amazon now.  "Drinking Side of Country" is now available at iTunes.

A biased review: Bucky Covington's new single, "I Wanna Be That Feeling" (at iTunes now!)

Thanks to Rachel for kindly sharing this terrific photo of Bucky Covington on stage in Kansas City. Click the image to visit Bucky's official website.

Today marks the debut of Bucky Covington's first new single in quite a while, and if you haven't yet bought it for yourself, hit iTunes right now and come on back! Here's an excerpt from the official press release:

“I Wanna Be That Feeling,” written by Jimmy Yeary and Ben Hayslip, is a tempo love track that explores the excitement of young love. The highly anticipated song, which is Bucky’s first musical offering in nearly two years, is being made available for digital download by his fans in advance of its upcoming release to country radio.

Bucky recently filmed the music video for the song from Nashville’s abandoned Tennessee State Prison. The clip will be released to video outlets in the new year. The North Carolina singer is busy in the studio writing and recording new music for his long-awaited sophomore album, due in 2012.

As y'all might have guessed, we're just a little bit...erm, biased here at Buckymania. After all, "I Wanna Be That Feeling" spotlights that same distinctive, gritty, soulful Southern voice that inspired this blog back in '06 when Bucky was an unknown, unsigned Idol semifinalist. But even without factoring in my years-in-the-making admiration for Bucky's vocal style (and admiration for how his talents have deepened and grown richer over those same years), I'm gonna go ahead and call "I Wanna Be That Feeling" a likely hit, for reasons that might be more subtle than they first appear.

For one thing, the song's theme and lyrics take full advantage of Bucky's unusual, appealing youthful-yet-experienced gravelly tone in much the same way that his first big hit, "A Different World" (and the should-have-been hit "A Father's Love") did so well. A number of the reviews of Bucky's first album noted that a nostalgic thread ran through many of the songs; this new song deftly appeals to the listener's romantic nostalgia, then brings those feelings into the present and the future, with the singer declaring his intentions to be part of it all...

You’re cruising through that parking lot
With a couple friends hanging out the top
And you remember how it felt being young, wild, crazy
Baby

I wanna be that feeling
I wanna be that wind blowing through your hair
When life was like your favorite song
And those summer days went on and on
And it felt like you could do no wrong
I wanna be that feeling

Speaking of "wind blowin' through your hair", here's Bucky Covington, Rocky Covington, and a summer breeze in Palmdale; thanks again to a talented anonymous photographer for the photo.

Yep, we've all been there, or we'll be there eventually. Whether you're young enough that "cruising through the parking lot" was last week's entertainment, or you're grown-up enough to look back on those times with a smile, you can relate--and "relatability" is the key.

At the start of his career, right after his time on Idol, Bucky answered the question "What is it about country music that touches you, that makes you want to sing it?" thus: "Well, it lets you tell stories about stuff you can relate to, or [you've] been through. It just tells a story, you know..." Bucky Covington just happens to have one of the best storytelling voices in current country music, and it's going to be a pleasure to hear that voice telling this seductive, romantic story on the radio very soon. Welcome back, Bucky!