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King of Nothing The Warren Brothers BNA, 2000
Buy it online
Tracks 1:
Strange
Reviewed by Lincoln Cho
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They are almost too attractive to be credible. Physically, Brad resembles a young Elvis Presley -- not a coincidence to be taken likely in the musical genre they've chosen -- while Brett looks a bit like a more svelte, sensitive and intelligent-looking Fabio. In fact, The Warren Brothers look like some manager's dream duo: as pretty, in their own way, as Hanson (a comparison I'm not the first to draw) as hooky and country pop-sounding as next week's big thing. The fact that The Warren Brothers -- and yes: they really are brothers -- are also talented musicians and songwriters can come as something as a surprise. The sharpest tunes on their second album, King Of Nothing, were penned by either Brad or Brett or both of them together. Brett sings lead, plays acoustic guitar, harmonica, the mandolin and the piano on the new album. Brad sings harmony vocals and plays lead and rhythm guitar and lead and rhythm acoustic guitars and one or both brothers take at least partial song writing credits on nine of the 11 songs on King Of Nothing. Obviously, there's more going on here than the pretty faces might suggest. Those that have listened to The Warren Brothers' first album, Beautiful Day In The Cold Cruel World -- and in truth, there were less than lots of listeners to this watery first effort -- might have taken a less-than-favorable impression away with them. Released in 1998, Cold, Cruel World had, overall, a not-quite-ready-for-primetime feel about it. On close listen, the lyrics were just as tight, and some of the trademark harmonies were quite perfect however, on the whole, it didn't matter. An album can't be anything more than the sum of its parts and in this regard, Cold, Cruel World was quite flawed and -- ultimately -- quite overlooked: and rightly so. King Of Nothing is a whole different ball game. The Warren Brothers themselves are more seasoned, for one thing. They've spent a chunk of the last two years touring with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill: an endeavor that was pleasing and successful enough for everyone involved that the brothers have been invited to join McGraw and Hill for another run. One of the results of touring with one of the biggest headlining acts in countrydom is the sort of hard-edged professionalism for both brothers and their band that simply can't be gained any other way. If King Of Nothing sounds more solid and sure than The Warren Brothers' earlier endeavors -- and it does -- this is surely a big part of the reason why. An atypical track from King Of Nothing, "That's The Beat Of A Heart," was also included on the soundtrack album for the film Where the Heart Is. The syrupy little number was doing very well prior to the release of King Of Nothing but that really doesn't reflect on the balance of the album. For one thing, it's a non-Warren written song. Written by Tena Clark and Tim Heintz, "That's The Beat Of A Heart" is a more sentimental song than Brad or Brett usually come up with on their own. The addition of the soaring vocals of country comer Sara Evans help make the song work, but the lyrics are more trite than the balance of the album and the rhymes more obvious. Sometimes you'll drown it out with all your rage and thunder And so on. Contrast this from "It Ain't Me," written by both Warrens and Warren Brothers Band piano player, Rob Stoney: Girl you think my love for you it'll never change It's this sort of irony
-- combined with Brett and Brad's well-aimed harmonies and
very solid musicianship -- that are gaining the Brothers
Warren a growing respect and affection from serious fans of
new country. | September
2000 |
The fact that The Warren Brothers -- and yes: they really are brothers -- are also talented musicians and songwriters can come as something as a surprise. The sharpest tunes on their second album, King Of Nothing, were penned by either Brad or Brett or both of them together. |
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