Rating:
Genre:
Country
Release Date: 04/17/2007
Clay Walker didn't last long at
RCA Records -- just one album, 2003's
A Few Questions, which found the Texan at his smoothest and poppiest, yet that didn't result in anything more than modest chart success. He parted ways with the label and signed with
Curb, releasing
Fall in the spring of 2007.
Fall doesn't drastically depart from the sound of
A Few Questions, but there's a crucial difference: it's produced by
Keith Stegall, best known as the man who helmed hits by
Alan Jackson.
Stegall helps return some hard
country to
Walker's sound, but he does it with moderation, keeping
Walker firmly within a mainstream, crossover sound. The subtle emphasis on pure
country gives
Fall a backbone
A Few Questions lacked.
Walker can still stray into sticky sentiment, particularly on
ballads like
"Love to Be Your Last," but these never get too saccharine (even if they remain awfully sappy at times) thanks to
Stegall's simple, unadorned production. It also helps that these pieces of corn are surrounded by livelier material, whether it's the lean, good-hearted
"Working Man," the cheerful,
Kenny Chesney-styled beach anthem
"Mexico," or especially the wry, funny lead single,
"'Fore She Was Mama," where
Walker discovers his mom's hidden hippie past. At times
Fall does sound a bit too well-mannered, but part of
Walker's charm as a veteran
country singer is that he comes across as a gentleman: he may have fun in the sun, but he doesn't roam; he comes back home to the woman who loves him. The nice thing about
Fall is that despite some treacly moments, it captures this character on record -- and it places as much emphasis on the fun as it does the love, so it's his most enjoyable collection in some time.
~Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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