I don't wanna work for something that's only gonna add up to nothing...

Blaine Larsen is mostly known as the “how’d that voice come out of that kid” singer who scored a top-20 country hit with the somber “How Do You Get That Lonely”. So to assuage any concerns on how depressing his next album would be, the CD’s aptly named Rockin’ You Tonight. With nary a downnote till ¾ through the album, 19-year-old Larsen definitely has partying on his mind. Starting with “I Don’t Know What She Said”, a Kenny Chesney/Jimmy Buffett ripoff that’s overcute by half, Larsen gives competent if not remarkable exercises in the different genres of “polite country”. “Let Alone You” alone is the best of those, with the most urgent of production and soft-rock-like singing. Speaking of, Blaine slips in a cover of Mac Davis’ “Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me” which actually works better than most of this album. When I said that the downnote comes ¾ through, that’s with the duet “Lips Of A Bottle” with Gretchen Wilson, which as subdued as it is does shine compared to the commercial-pop around it, like the overplayed marriage-as-cheating tack on “I’m In Love With A Married Woman” and pussywhipped bravado in “No Women” and “Spoken Like A Man”. The only other inspiration comes when Larsen channels his inner Gary Allan on “I Don’t Wanna Work That Hard”. Closing the album is the typical God name-check “At The Gate”.

Blaine’s voice is warm and familiar, and for a Stetson store intercom, It’ll do the trick. Unfortunately, though, Rockin’ You Tonight isn’t rockin’ enough to set it apart.

Grade: C-
Best Cuts: “I Don’t Want To Work That Hard”, “Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me”
Weakest Links: “I’m In Love With A Married Woman”, “No Women”, “At The Gate”

Rockin' You Tonight hit #23 country and #93 pop albums.
"I Don't Know What She Said" hit #24 country singles.
"Spoken Like A Man" made #42 country singles.

To pick up a copy of Rockin' You Tonight, you can go to websites like here or here.

And to listen to the track "I Don't Want To Work That Hard", click here to download (rightclick to bring it up in another window).