Meat and Candy needs more lyrical depth to be truly great.
Old Dominion’s debut album, Meat and Candy, contains more metaphors and rhyme schemes than a Dr. Seuss book. Although the album is incredibly cheesy and includes a few awkward compliments, a few catchy tunes stand out for their clever lyrics and original themes.
The 11-song album kicks off with a typical sounding country song. Old Dominion decided to skip the bro-country trend, but the first song, “Snapback,” has a similar feeling to Sam Hunt’s Montevallo album with a few sped up, spoken verses.
It sounds country, but the lyrics are about snapbacks, Converses and tattoos — not something typically found in the country genre. It’s cute but a tad confusing.
Then the metaphors begin.
Using the common optimist phrase “glass half empty or half full,” the singer debates whether to hit on a girl at the bar. He isn’t sure if she’s there for fun or because she got dumped. The singer wants to know if the girl is leaving alone or with him. The song is not monumental, but it’s a clever way to use the phrase.
“Wrong Turns” is another precious, clever love song that says he’s “making all the right wrong turns tonight” because he has a beautiful girl in the truck beside him. Another typical country song, but it could melt hearts and would fit right in with anything on country radio.
The first three songs made it seems like a promising album was on its way — but that’s not the case.
“Said Nobody” is the beginning of the album’s downfall. (Have no fear. There is some redemption later.)
“This song is truly amazing, clever and the best ever,” said nobody. The song is a strange compliment. The singers list all of the problems with a girl and end the line with “said nobody.” It’s not particularly cute, and the next song isn’t even close to an improvement
“Crazy Beautiful Sexy” begins with the singer saying he’s willing to change himself for a girl. At that point, it’s probably better to skip to the next song. The song kicks off in a slow mellow tune and eventually ventures into a upbeat chant of “Crazy. Beautiful. Sexy. Unusual. Innocent Provocative.” That’s supposed to be a compliment, but the entire song is a red flag for any girl.
Old Dominion ends the album strong. The last three songs are refreshing, witty and make the listeners reflect on past relationship.
Songs that effortlessly reference other songs or artists are typically clever and catchy. Although it’s not quite at the level of “Girl in a Country Song” by Maddie & Tae, Old Dominion’s song reference more than a dozen other songs while telling a love story. Being able to allude to George Strait, Tom Petty, Van Morrison and a handful of others without coming off as confusing is impressive.
Old Dominion takes a lackadaisical approach to love with “Til It’s Over,” which is actually rather romantic. The song describes a respectful man telling the woman everything will be all right whether that means heading to the bedroom or innocently talking on the couch.
Thankfully, the band decided to skip over the bitter breakup songs that are entirely too popular. Instead, “We Got It Right” is a refreshing break up song reminiscing on a relationship but not regretting when or how it ended.
Just like green eggs and ham, the album might not be every listeners cup of tea, but with a few refreshing themes and upbeats tunes, it’s at least worth a try.
@liz_backo
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