Currington barely needs to sing
Hard Rock Cafe, Boston, October 5, 2011
Reviewed by Jeffrey B. Remz
That's because Currington's fans were demonstrative big time for the Georgian's songs during his somewhat short 50-minute set in a WKLB-sponsored show. A low-key Currington - fortunately, he's not very big on pandering or whipping up the crowd with easy gestures - did not have to worry about overusing his voice. Maybe the fans did, but time and again, they joined the chart topper to help him sing his material.
Currington showed strong country roots by starting with I Wanna Be a Hillbilly. Currington, known more for feel good, catchy, somewhat soulful songs, was clearly comfy going more hard core.
This wasn't the only time Currington would go for a more traditional sound either. In fact, the next to last song of the set was his on-target take on Hank Williams Jr.'s Family Tradition.
Currington has enjoyed a lot of big hits during his eight-year career, so he, of course, had to dole them out to the crowd from the uptempo I Got a Feelin' from his debut to hits from his latest, "Enjoy Yourself," including Love Done Gone, Pretty Good at Drinkin' Beer, Let Me Down Easy and his brand new single Like My Dog, which is a fun, breezy, light kind of song where he asks his girl to keep nice to him like his dog is.
Currington would not be accused of being of deep thought in his material, but he deserves credit for picking (and sometimes writing) songs that are a good match for his vocals. He's got a soulful bent to his singing in generally mid-tempo songs that are easy to latch onto. After all, that's why people sang along.
Kip Moore opened with a likable 45-minute set. He hasn't released an album yet - he said he hoped one would be out in January 2012 - but he's released a few singles.
Moore's a bit on the gritty side, sort of recalling Dierks Bentley. He sure likes his songs about vehicles, including his new single Something 'bout a Truck, which uses the vehicle as a way to get chicks. He also has a song about motorcycles.
The Georgian did get a bit introspective at times and wasn't afraid to talk about his past life. Like the headliner, Moore's songs sounded familiar, comfortable and were accessible.
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