David Bruce Murray
Jun 08, 2010
CD Review
CD Review: Times Like These
RATING: 3 Stars
Producer: Jay DeMarcus
Label: Daywind Records
Website: www.austinsbridge.com
Song Titles: “Angels,” “Mercy Never Leaves,” “There Is A God,” “Quitters,” “Big Sky,” “Times Like These,” “Dash Between The Dates,” “Love Is On The Way,” “Hold On To Jesus,” and “Good Time”
I can still hum several songs from the 2007 self-titled debut by Austins Bridge. The songwriting quality on that CD was spotty, but they had at least three standout songs in “Dry Bones,” “He’s In Control” and “History Turned The Page.” There was a raw, distinctive quality that showed great potential for Austins Bridge in those songs. In my 2007 review, I wrote that I expected this group to draw some comparisons to the popular Country/Pop group Rascal Flatts.
Three years later, Austins Bridge is back with a Rascal Flatts connection. Jay DeMarcus handles the production duties on Times Like These. They’ve shifted from a trio to a duo format featuring Jason Baird and Justin Rivers. Production-wise, Times Like These is a lot fuller sounding than their debut, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. Most songs are a wash of compressed sound with not much to offer in the way of dynamics. It may turn out to be just what the doctor ordered for commercial success, but there’s no song that grabs me with a permanent enduring effect like the earlier songs I listed.
In my 2007 review, I compared and contrasted the Austins Bridge debut with the debut CD of a similar group called 33 Miles. 33 Miles was a good group with a lot to say and a good sound, but their music tended to be overproduced. Rather than building on the elements that were working so well for them in their early years, Austins Bridge has pretty much made a wholesale shift to the overproduced sound of 33 Miles. Their songs tend to be all “middle.” There’s not much in the way of a beginning or an end, and that’s more due to production choices than lyrics. One of the songs DeMarcus co-wrote has an interesting take on angels, but the interesting elements of the lyric are lost in a sea of instruments that leave little room for the vocalist to sing in an expressive fashion.
It’s clear a great deal of money was spent on production. I said as much about the 2007 CDs by both Austins Bridge and 33 Miles. I also wrote “maybe 33 Miles can find a producer who understands the concept of coming up for air.” That caveat now unfortunately applies to Austins Bridge.
