Phil Vassar, “American Child” (Arista Nashville)
On his latest album, Vassar solidifies his position as a country star in the making.
On his latest album, Vassar solidifies his position as a country star in the making.
“I’m Already Gone” is a lush ballad that demonstrates the contradiction between the fear and the reality of falling in love. The title track--like “Six-Pack Summer,” a top-10 hit from his self-titled debut-- is a nod to Americana, a mandolin-laced ballad about baseball, child birth and the love of family.
Vassar recruited pop songwriters Miles Zuniga of Fastball and Grammy Award-winner Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty to lend a pen during the album’s songwriting process. An obvious Don Henley influence shines through the Zuniga-Vassar ballad “Time’s Wastin,’” while “Someone You Love” bears Thomas’ distinct sense of pop melody.
While his debut album leaned toward the serious, “American Child” allows Vassar’s innate sense of humor to come through. His humor also shines in the double-entendres of “Athens Grease” ("Six days a week, he’s a man on a mission/He’s the redneck Picasso of the manual transmission/The only man in town who can make Charlie Vincent’s van go").
“American Child” should push Vassar into the headlining status he deserves.
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