If you’re looking for some light country listening as the summer comes to a close, look no further than David Adam Byrnes’ ‘Tell Me I Won’t’ EP. The follow-up to this Sherwood, Arkansas native’s debut album ‘Premium Country’, it’s a 5-track collection that opens with the beat-heavy, rollicking, Brad Paisley-esque party anthem ‘Alcoholiday’, which also happens to be the set’s lead single. Complete with a classic country rock riff, pedal steel and his Jason Aldean/Eric Church-style light country vocals, it’s a track guaranteed to get folks singing along and clinking glasses, with more of the true country stylings that are devoid from the vast majority of modern party songs.
David continues the good-timin’ theme on ‘Already High’, a clever play on the nickname of Denver, Colorado. Known as the Mile-High City, its position in the Rocky Mountains make it exactly one mile above sea level, and thus one of the highest cities in the United States. The narrative in ‘Already High’ finds David driving across country looking for a buzz, and happening upon the fringes of Denver, which he suggests as a good resting place “because they’re already high in Denver, the way I wanna feel I’ll fit right in there, if you’re up there in the clouds you don’t have to have much alcohol, the good times roll up on you a little quicker.” It’s quirky in it wordplay and focusing on a specific place (that isn’t too-often name-checked), and is a bit of fun that is reminiscent of Jason Aldean’s earlier material.
However, David gets a bit more sentimental on some of the other tracks. The title track utilizes heavier, edgier guitars to construct a radio-friendly country rock sound with a lyric that dares his partner to tell him he won’t do certain things for her, because he loves proving her wrong. An arena-orientated love song with a cute twist, it would work well as a single. On the other end of the spectrum, ‘Pretty Blue View’ is a neo-traditional ballad that finds the narrator enjoying a beautiful view but wishing he could spend it with a love long gone, and in true country style, turns the lyric on its head to remark that her presence could always turn anything into a pretty blue view. Pedal steel and piano light up this gentle little song that recalls a 90s flavor, topped up with a lovely delivery from David.
The EP comes to a close with a live acoustic track, something which helps to really highlight David’s country credentials. ‘Honky Tonk Downstairs’ implies more partying tropes, but it’s actually a really twangy, lonesome country ballad about the barmaid in the honky-tonk downstairs, whose husband is in jail. It’s short, simple but incredibly effective, and suits him down to a tee, giving a taste of what he would be like to see live.
There are a few different musical strands present on this EP, highlighting David Adam Byrnes’ various influences, but he sounds most at home on the songs that sound the most traditionally country. His vocal similarity to Jason Aldean could find him being unfavorably compared on those songs that imitate the country rocker, so I would love to see him go down a more stripped-back route. However, this is a solid record and a pleasant listen.
Originally posted here.
