Chris Janson - "'Til A Woman Comes Along"
By: Matt Bjorke
With country radio evolving to the point where there starting to allow both traditionalists and more ‘contemporary’ artists on the charts, what would happen if there’s an artist who melds both along with a heavy dose of punk rock influences? With one listen to Chris Janson’s debut single “’Til a Woman Comes Along” we’re about to find out what would happen as Janson and company have melded a punk rock-ish rhythm section to an outlaw (‘traditional’) melody that simply sounds great coming out of the speakers.
An instant attention-grabber, “’Til A Woman Comes Along” tells a tale of a wild oats sewing man who is happy to be wild and carefree, “Like that guy in the Ramblin’ Waylon song” until ‘a woman comes along and lays down the law.’ It’s a feeling many guys have not only felt but it’s a lifestyle many have lived. The story here is real and authentic and Chris Janson’s vocal (a deep baritone with some grit) adds the right amount of swagger to the tune. The instrumental solos are strong and Chris Janson’s harmonica solo is a highlight as well.
If “’Til A Woman Comes Along” isn’t a big breakthrough for Chris Janson, I will be extremely surprised as it is one of my contenders for 2010 single of the year with Miranda Lambert’s great “House That Built Me,” Jerrod Niemann’s “Lover, Lover” and Jaron & The Long Road To Love’s “Pray For You.” It’s that good. I’ve played it about 10 times in a row while writing this review and it hasn’t grown stale yet, the true mark of a great song.
You can support Chris Janson by purchasing this single at Amazon | iTunes (Releases April 6, 2010).
READER'S COMMENTS
savannah says:
Posted: Sunday, August 1, 2010
i think his cute why cuter then justin bivber and the song is kind of cight like baby baby baby oh
Jon G. says:
Posted: Monday, May 24, 2010
Okay, Matt, some of your ratings make more sense now... Is there a-I don't know what word to use-informal scale or something that I could use in reference to the number of stars you give a song? Other critics use more...concrete values for the songs they review (Country Universe uses A-F grades, which, since I grew up with it, I have a clearer understanding of it; the 9513 critics use "Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down," which is self-explanatory in that they like it or they don't; Country Weekly has a meaning assigned to each whole star; etc.) Idk. It be helpful for me, personally, if you did. So what are some of the songs that you didn't like enough to review?
Matt B. says:
Posted: Monday, May 24, 2010
Jon, I gave the Carrie Underwood "2.5" stars. If I really hate a song, I typically let someone else review it or I don't bother at all. That is quite a rare case as I genuinely like a majority of what I hear for one reason or another.
Jon G. says:
Posted: Sunday, May 23, 2010
Nevermind, Matt. After reexamining several search pages worth of reviews, I realized that, though I usually agree with what you actually type, I almost never agree with a rating. In fact, since the lowest rating I can remember you giving a song recently is 3 1/2, it is safe to presume that those would be the "least good" songs in your eyes, yet I tend to like those better the ones you give 4 1/2 or 5 stars to. Apparently, we just have very, very different tastes beyond that we generally like the same genre of music.
Jon G. says:
Posted: Saturday, May 22, 2010
Sorry about this. I was goofin’ around when this song came up again. (I keep odd hours.) Then I started thinking about it, and I realized our conversation had focused more on Janson's voice than anything else. And of course it did. That was all I elaborated on. So I'd thought I'd go back to the real problem I had with "’Til a Woman Comes Around": the song itself. I just can't connect with it. I've listened to it three times all the way through just to give it the benefit of the doubt, and I just can't get into it. I mean, it IS just as good as the first listen, and by that, I mean not very. I think it's the lyrics. They aren't clever like "Pray for You," "I Gotta Get to You," or the opening lines of "The Man I Want to Be." ("God I'm down here on my knees/'Cause it's the last place left to fall/Beggin' for another chance/If there's any chance at all/That you might still be listenin', lovin', and forgivin' guys like me"=killer) They're not heartfelt and revealing like "I Keep on Loving You" or "The House That Built Me." They're not catchy like "Wrong Baby Wrong." So, what then, are they? They're there. That's it. They are not bad. They are just there. The story, for me, as it is told by Janson, is not really involving, even though your outline of it makes it sound fun and even relatable. The worst thing about the lyrics is, well, I can't remember them. It took those three (very attentive) listens just for the chorus to sink in. And now, I can't even quote that, much less the rest of the song. Where’s the beef? Where’s the hook? “I’m a pretty rowdy guy, or at least I was ‘til a woman came along and broke me in.” Woopido. I’ve never heard that before, much less done better. (Sarcasm-don’t you love it?) Banality: the cardinal sin of songwriting. And again, his vocal is fine, but it is not distinct. The thing about Waylon is, after the very first time I heard him, I could always listen to one of his songs and go, "Oh, that's Waylon." I can go, "Oh, that's Ronnie Milsap," or "that's Toby Keith," “that’s Ashton Shepherd,” "that's Chris Young," "that's Willie," "that's Clint Black," "that's Vince Gill," "that's Jamey Johnson," "that's Lee Ann Womack," "that's Conway," "that's Randy Travis," "that's Josh Turner," "that's Reba," "that's James Otto," “that’s Gary Allan,” "that's David Nail," "that's Kenny Chesney," “that’s Ashley Monroe,” "that's Dwight Yoakam," etc. I can even say, "Oh, that's Taylor Swift." Chris Janson, on the other hand, lacks the "Oh" factor. This is a bit of a nonsensical hypothetical, I know, but imagine for a moment that I've never heard "’Til a Woman Comes Around," yet I know who Chris Janson is. After imagining this minor paradox, play "’Til a Woman Comes Around" for me and ask me who the singer is. I would probably stutter, "...Um...hmph...uh..." I might eventually manage "Jake Owen?" and that's about it. This may seem unfair. Chris Janson is a new artist, and this is his debut single. Matt Kennon is also a new artist with a debut single called, well, "The Call." If you were to, out-of-the-blue, amidst a sea of other “Hey, who dat?”’s, play another song by Kennon and ask me who sings it, I might not be as certain, but I would probably say, "Oh, that sounds like Matt Kennon." Kennon has a stand-out voice. The only person who sounds vaguely like him (that comes to mind) is Jeff Bates. Chris Janson lacks a stand-out voice. Of course, not everyone is gifted with a one-in-a-million (or billion) voice, and it is entirely possible to perform a stand-out vocal without the benefit of a stand-out voice. Buddy Jewell is one artist who, despite possessing a rather standard baritone, was able to infuse several songs ("Help Pour Out the Rain," "Sweet Southern Comfort," "Somebody Who'd Die for You," etc.) with enough (seemingly) genuine emotion to more than get the point across. While "’Til a Woman Comes Around" is not "that" kind of song, it might have been an opportunity for Chris to demonstrate his capabilities as a vocalist by exuding enough exuberance and charisma to allow us to at least sit through, if not enjoy, all three-and-a-half minutes of his single. (For example, Easton Corbin is a dead ringer for George Strait, and thus lacks an individual voice. Nonetheless, he managed to charm his way through some questionable lyrics in his #1 hit “A Little More Country Than That,” and “Roll With It” is one of the best, most spontaneously listenable summer songs of recent memory. Kellie Pickler’s new single “Makin’ Me Fall in Love Again” suffers many of the same faults as “’Til a Woman Comes Around.” Still, it manages to be surprisingly agreeable.) Sadly, as I've opined already, I think he imitates other established artists more than anything else. Thus, “’Til a Woman Comes Around” has neither what I would call good lyrics or a good vocal. What it does have is a good, generic (not outlaw) contemporary country sound. This means that it does have potential to be a (perhaps very) successful single, if little else. Outlaws exist, I’m sure, in contemporary country music. Jamey Johnson might be the leader of the pack. Even new artists like Jaron and the Long Road to Love blaze an outlaw trail with unexpected, controversial songs. Chris Janson is just not one of them. A well-worn hook. An unremarkable vocal. A predictable production. None of this says “outlaw.” Once more, Matt, I respect your opinion. I just do not understand how it earns five stars.
Matt B. says:
Posted: Saturday, May 22, 2010
Jon G., I don't think there are many 'perfect' songs. That doesn't mean that a song can't be 5 stars and be imperfect. There are few "Hallelujah" type songs out there. I didn't hear Jake Owen filtered through Trace Adkins or whatever thing you are saying Jim Malec said. I have listened to his other songs and I've also had the chance to see him perform live and have never felt that he was anything but himself, even if his influences (more Waylon and Willie and "punk" than Owen or other contemporaries) show up.
Jon G. says:
Posted: Saturday, May 22, 2010
Sorry about that last post. I had several paragraph breaks that didn't make it to the version you see.
Jon G. says:
Posted: Friday, May 21, 2010
Wow. I don't agree with your review as far as the song goes at all. It's decent at best and has no business being compared to the other songs mentioned. I was tired of it the first go-round. I didn't even stick around for ten repeats, let alone fifty. The only redeeming factor is Janson's voice. However, as Jim Malec of the 9513 points out and you might agree with if you'd give Janson's other songs a listen, he has a tendency to impersonate other artists. He sounds a lot like Jake Owen trying to do Trace Adkins on this song, and then does his best thin-voiced Brad Paisley impression on "Take It to the Bank." Again, I like his voice. That he sounds like other talented vocalists doesn't impair his quality as a singer, but it does negatively impact him as an artist, not just creatively but perhaps also commercially. What I mean is Adkins, Houser, Owen, etc. are already on the radio, so why listen to Janson? I don't think the song is terrible. I probably wouldn't attack it like this if it weren't for the five-star rating, which, to me, is preposterous. I feel like you've seriously short-changed some great songs on a few stars if you think this is an example of a perfect song. Janson has a good voice, and once you get over the promotion photos of him, a likeable persona. While the literal voice is there, the creative one needs some work. He has a shot at the big time, and if he wants to take it, he should spend some time fleshing out the aforementioned persona so that he actually stands out. At least, that's my take on both the artist and the song.
Derrik says:
Posted: Thursday, April 29, 2010
This is definetly going to be one of the best songs released in country music in 2010. I have listened to this song probably 50 times already and it is still as good as the first time i listened to it. I agree that is definetly the mark of a great song and hope to hear more from Chris in the future.
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