He's on the dance floor, yelling "Free Bird"...

Ahh when good country artists go bad. Neal McCoy was the Charley Pride of the modern country era, being the sole non-white country singer on the charts during the big-boom 90s. Even though he wasn't black (he's Filipino and Irish), he brought the winning charm attitude that borrows just as much from Pride as from Nat "King" Cole. In songs like "No Doubt About It", "Wink", and "You Gotta Love That", McCoy was the epitomy of classy, non-threatening, honkytonk that was able to garner him quite a career for awhile. But as fickle as country radio is, by the late nineties, his singles charted lower and lower, until he's been apparently castoff like so many others to independent label-land (in this case his own startup, 903 records). When this happens, usually this frees the artist to put out more quality material, without a bigwig from Sony or BMG or whatever breathing down your neck. With McCoy's amazing baritone, this could really work, with more heartfelt and original material than could be on his popular material? Does it happen. Well, notsomuch. Notsomuch at all.

That's Life, McCoy's first album on his label, is unfortunate chock full of all the stereotypical gunwaving and trash-praisin' cliches that people who don't like country music give for reasons they won't listen to country music. Starting out with "Got Mud", which has been done with its "we're hillbillies and we're dirty" theme too many times already, then slip down a whole bunch of notches by pandering out a cameo by Tommy Franks, rattling off about his dad (which apparently involved pronouncing flag with two syllables) and how he hopes he's not the "Last Of A Dying Breed", like fathers in the city can't be just as upstanding and valuable. This "we'll put you down by saying we're better cuz we're simple" line is a bit old, anyway, and TOmmy, ho'ws that invasion in Iraq going, anyway?

Luckily McCoy settles down a little bit and puts through a couple competent but benign ballads, the title track and "All Over Again". After that comes the score for the album, his top-10 single "Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On" which recaptures his playful side which won him over the first time. After that though there's just a plethora of cookie-cutter ballads and hokey redneck-alia (see the horrendously-named "Tail on the Tailgate" for that). The one blip on this half is the adoption-saga "Jessie" which does come across at least as sincere. He ends the CD with a crappy rehash of "Youre My Jamaica" with his mentor Charley Pride, and a live version of "Hillbilly Rap", which mashes Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight with the theme from the Beverly Hillbilles. Interesting concept, done way better though on other CDs of his.

McCoy does still have his voice, and he does try to sell himself to the Branson crowd. For them, this'll work wonders. However to everybody else, be forewarned.

Grade: D
Best Cuts: "Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On", "All Over Again"
Weakest Links: "Last Of A Dying Breed", "Got Mud", "Tail On The Tailgate"

That's Life made it to #32 pop albums, #8 country albums.
"Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On" hit #10 country, #75 Hot 100.
"Last Of A Dying Breed" hit #35 on the country chart.

You can buy That's Life at sites like here and here.


And here's the video for the single "Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On", with Rob Schneider.