Rating:
Genre:
Country
Release Date: 10/04/2005
On his third album,
Anywhere But Here,
Chris Cagle's
rock influences shine stronger than ever. Not only does he cover
Bon Jovi's
"Wanted Dead or Alive" and name-drop
Lynyrd Skynyrd, but
"Hey Ya'll" has a defiant, hard-rocking swagger and he favors anthemic mid-tempo tunes built on classic
rock to
honky tonk ravers. But in a time where
Big & Rich and their Muzik Mafia cohorts are rewriting
contemporary country music as a flashy, ironic lark, this devotion to classic and
Southern rock makes
Cagle a bit of a traditionalist, and he wears it well on
Anywhere But Here. While some of the power
ballads veer a little bit toward the generic, there are a bunch of strong songs here, ranging from the opening
"You Might Want to Think About It," where
Cagle takes a stand for Middle America, to the soaring
"Maria," which may be his best fusion of modern
country and
AOR. Throughout it all,
Cagle remains an appealing singer -- his voice may be a little thin, but it's friendly, and it can help sell his tales of love, loss, and living.
Anywhere But Here may not be a knockout, but it's a thoroughly likeable, engaging record that proves
Chris Cagle is something of a
country everyman for 2005, which not only makes him endearing, but a little refreshing next to such oversize personalities as
Big & Rich and
Toby Keith.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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