27861 (Stoney Creek, 2017)
Parmalee
Reviewed by Michael Rampa
"Hotdamalama" extols the crude attributes of a hot Southern girl with as much lack of subtlety as Trace Adkins's "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk." Some redemption is found in the piano ballads "Savannah" (about a lost love and the closer "Roots."(reflections on the singer's origins) They feel like an attempt to balance out the overall party theme. Atmospherically, the album has a glossy, contemporary feel. There's not a hint of traditional in the collection; nary an acoustic number nor pedal steel nor fiddle in the bunch, and on "Back in the Game," there is obvious use of synth and programming, That said, the electric riffs are very catchy, especially the ones that kick start some of the better party anthems like "Barrel Of A Shot Glass."
Guitarist Matt Thomas said of the project, "It is definitely progressive from where we were with (2013's) "Feels Like Carolina." "It's like verse two of that." That release spawned 3 Top 10 singles. "27861" feels like it's attempting to accomplish the very same goal, albeit in a less organic and more formulaic fashion.
CDs by Parmalee
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