Released: June 17, 2022
Track list
Unwanted Man
Cheap Seats
When I See You
The Old Man Said
Dancing Around The Truth
What's Left Of Me
Heck Of A Song
Crash Landing
One In A Million Girl
Nothing On You
Once In A Life
Songwriters: Aaron Watson, Bob DiPiero, Phil O'Donnell
Producers: Aaron Watson, Nate Coon
Links
Official website: https://www.aaronwatson.com/
Unwanted Man on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QMSYm7Y6tqk
EDITOR'S NOTE: I only provide links as resources for readers and receive no commission from them.
TL;DR: The biggest problem with this album is that it's too long, but when you have such a brilliant title track, a lot of other things can at least be overlooked.
Aaron Watson is, unfortunately for both mainstream (Nashville) and independent country, stuck somewhere in between being radio-friendly and the kind of flat out brilliant songwriter that just doesn't get pushed to radio no matter how much they deserve it. He's had a #1 hit with "Outta Style", a mediocre but inoffensive track, and he had a minor hit in the much-rougher-sounding, but far superior, "Run Wild Horses." However, he shows on this album that he's at least struck the right balance between more popular sounds and songwriting, and the result is a really enjoyable listen overall.
Let's start per usual with the production, which is at times a little too radio-friendly for my tastes (especially on "When I See You") and at other times will be too basic or rough around the edges for others ("The Old Man Said" comes to mind here.) However, there are so many perfectly produced songs that they far outweigh the filler. While I could go on all day about how much I love "Unwanted Man", one of the biggest reasons I feel so strongly about it is the "slow burn" build from an acoustic guitar foundation to a perfect payoff on the chorus. And there's plenty of steel guitar, rough-sounding electric guitars, and real drums. From my perspective, the positives clearly outweigh the negatives.
As far as Watson goes, he's a very capable if not brilliant vocalist. However, what sets him apart is that even if he's working with more mediocre material, he can still make it somewhat palatable at a minimum. Charismatic is the only word I can use here, and you genuinely believe him when he sings some of those remarkably insightful one-liners as well as the less deep but more fun material. From start to finish, his vocals on Unwanted Man are good to great.
The songwriting, while not perfect, is so much better than most of Nashville country these days that even if I rolled my eyes a little at how overdone songs like "The Old Man Said" or "When I See You" or "Nothing on You" could be, I at least had to admit that as a whole they were at least acceptable because of the smart turns of phrase. If nothing else, Aaron Watson and his songwriters have a gift for being country through and through while also offering stunning insights with their punchy one-liners. And on a song like the title track, not only do those turns of phrase work to perfection, but they help secure its place as one of the best songs I'll review this year. "What's Left of Me", "Heck of a Song", and "Crash Landing" also have some impressive wordplay to go with the genuine substance of the production and Watson's strong vocals.
Maybe this album just found me at the right time--I would describe its overall mood as grateful with reservations--but if nothing else, it's very good, and it should have a wider appeal than a lot of "indie country."
Score: 8/10 (very strong effort)
Favorite track: "Unwanted Man"
Least favorite track: "The Old Man Said"