What The Critics Say
A prudent man would not open his album with a song featuring the verses "Now I'm the first to say I don't know what I'm doing/And I ain't gonna preach what I don't know/I ain't no deep theologer, no PhD psychologer/I'm making this shit up as I go." But Pat Green clearly knows no such caution, and on What I'm For, his eleventh album, he seems determined to Make A Statement while offering up a commercially polished product that might allow him to make a dent on the charts outside his native Texas for a change. The first two songs, "Footsteps of Our Fathers" and "What I'm For" are clearly intended as Statements of Purpose issued from some blue-collar soapbox about unity and acceptance among the common people, and "In It for the Money" makes it clear that Green considers himself an artist and doesn't think much of folks willing to sell out for a royalty check. However, Green sounds a bit more engaged when he's singing "Country Star," a presumably satiric number in which he goes on about the joys of free drinks, hot babes, hanging out with Faith Hill and all else that comes with landing a record on the top of the charts, and for all his rootsy sincerity, producer Dann Huff has made this Green's most radio-ready album to date, so slick you could skate on it when you cue up tunes like "Lucky" or "Feeling Pretty Good Tonight." And while Green and his band sound game on these sessions, these tunes are far from the best in his songbook, full of clever phrases that don't always cohere into real songs; for all the care that went into the production and the arrangements, it's sadly ironic that songwriting turns out to be the Achilles' Heel of What I'm For. Maybe Green wasn't kidding -- maybe he did make this stuff up as he went along. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Pat Green's music can be described as one part Texas singer/songwriter and one part arena-friendly pop/rock with a rootsy twist, sort of a fusion of Robert Earl Keen and Hootie & the Blowfish, which might sound like a slight until you consider the level of craft both acts put into their music. Pat Green became a major star in Texas on the strength of his engaging live show and a handful of self-released and distributed albums he made in the '90s, but he hasn't been able to conquer the record business nationwide with quite the same panache as he did in the Lone Star State, and Cannonball, his fourth major label effort (and tenth overall) finds him shifting gears a bit as he jumps from Universal to his new corporate home at BNA/BMG. While Green's tales of life in Regular Guy Land cover the same sort of territory as usual -- love that feels really good when it works, love that feels kinda sad when it doesn't, and life with his buddies and family below the Mason Dixon line -- Green has a noticeably harder rock & roll edge than in the past (or least what passes for a rock & roll edge in mainstream country), and his vocals suggest he's been listening to a lot of classic heartland rock these days (which, since he's working with the producer who made some of John Mellencamp's best records, makes sense). Green has the voice and personality to make the more direct approach work, his band seems to enjoy having the opportunity to tear a little deeper into the material, and "Virginia Belle" is a great single that suggests Counting Crows on a vacation in Texas (which in this case is a good thing). But most of the time, Cannonball loses a share of the easygoing charm and simple emotional clarity that's marked Green's best work, and the greater warmth and friendliness of his earlier material is missed. Cannonball is still the work of a singer and songwriter who put a lot of sweat and honest labor into this album, and the effort isn't wasted, but Green's music here lacks some of the small-town humanity that made him memorable in the first place; a turn of events that might make some fans uneasy. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Lucky Ones is Pat Green's third album for a major label, but it's the first one where he truly seems comfortable gunning for the big time. He enlists producer Don Gehman, who produced a few songs on his previous album, 2003's Wave on Wave, for the entire record, and Gehman not only gives Lucky Ones a bright roots rock feel similar to the albums he produced for John Mellencamp, he also enlists drummer Kenny Aronoff and violinist Lisa Germano, both Mellencamp vets, for a few tracks. These two, along with a few other session musicians, mix seamlessly with Green's seven-piece backing band, giving the album a consistent sound -- and that sound is big and shiny, part contemporary country, part heartland rock, all polished and designed for a wide audience. The ballads never get too maudlin, the up-tempo numbers never rock too hard. All the songs are about love and good times, whether it's about how it's good to be home or sitting around with Brad Paisley and reminiscing about college. It's all bright and tuneful, closer to the mainstream Midwest rock of the '80s than contemporary country, but that's part of its appeal -- it's well-crafted, highly polished, anthemic roots rock that appeals to the heart of America. While it is true that if you listen hard enough it's possible to hear the formula and the calculation behind Green's amalgam of country and MOR rock, there's no denying that at its best it's hard to resist, and there's also no denying that Lucky Ones finds the singer at his best. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On his eighth album, Texas frat party darling Pat Green takes a giant step into the big time to detrimental effect. Green may make a lot of his Texas raising and his Austin base -- as well as his record-setting Houston concerts -- but he sounds more like a Nash Vegas hack every day. "Wave on Wave," the title track and single, is proof in the pudding that Green's rootsy, humble, humorous, Robert Earl Keen-derived style has gone the way of a cool breeze in Austin in August. There is little to distinguish not only his sound but his lyrics from those being written by the Nash Vegas Top Ten club. Contrast Green with songwriters such as Troy Campbell, Mary Gautheir, and Billy Joe Shaver and the distinction becomes painful. Green needs to go back to the woodshed and seek out that reckless country music muse that gave him the life he enjoys and beg its forgiveness before churning out anything else. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Three Days'
What The Critics Say
The front cover of Pat Green's Three Days shows a weathered cowboy boot hanging on the post of a barbed-wire fence. The picture on the inside of the album sleeve let us know it was Green himself who shed his shoes to walk the Southern streets barefoot. It's a fitting metaphor, given the music. The album casts aside the glossy over-production and generic songwriting of pop-country to make a raw, honest album that's not afraid to get its jeans dirty. Three Days is a testament to what's right about country music. Some of these tracks could put Green in the neo-folk singer/songwriter class with acts like John Gorka and David Wilcox, but this is a country record from top to bottom. These are songs about the simple life, the call of the road, and sorrows drowned in whiskey, old themes with a contemporary touch. Willie Nelson helps out on "Threadbare Gypsy Soul," adding to Green's credibility and making this album feel even more genuine. Three Days may not spark any revolutions in Nashville, but it's sure is a nice breath of fresh air. ~ Brad Kohlenstein, All Music Guide
'Songs We Wish We'd Written'
'Dancehall Dreamer'
