Drake White's Spark Doesn't Go Anywhere

I'm a big fan of Drake White's most recent single, the irresistibly catchy "Livin' the Dream." That song represents what upbeat music should be in modern country. It's catchy and happy but not completely void of substance, which seems to be what separates mediocrity from legitimate talent in modern music. Needless to say, when I heard that he was releasing an album called Spark in August, I was fairly excited. Here was an interesting, rootsy artist with a unique voice backed by mostly organic production. Unfortunately, I should have tempered my optimism.

Spark is not a bad album, and it certainly isn't aiding in the continued erosion of substance and real country music elements on mainstream radio, but it just doesn't do or say anything, either. Albums don't need to have obvious concepts for listeners to latch on to, but they certainly shouldn't be directionless, either. Spark sounds pleasant enough to the ear, but leaves no lasting impression of either Drake White or the kinds of songs he writes and sings. 

It took several listens for me to even write this review, and I hate to say that every listen after the first was wasted time. Make no mistake, when Drake White gets it right, it's great, but most of these songs are like elevator music. They aren't offensive or ridiculous, but as soon as you're out the door, they fade from memory almost instantly. If I were to describe Spark in one word, I'd call it fickle. There are only a handful of songs I remember by name. "Heartbeat" is a great opener, and while it's not particularly country in any way, it's one of the more infectious lyrics on the album. The aforementioned "Livin' the Dream" speaks to the simplicity of life when one scales back and appreciates every day things. "I Need Real" is a testament to how fruitless life is if one settles for something less than a healthy, fulfilling relationship, and is without a doubt the best song Spark has to offer. 

Otherwise, I felt that White was trying a little too hard to make his songs interesting. His vocal inflections on some of the happier songs are a little too much for me, especially "Story," which even includes some scat singing in the final minutes. At the same time, why do these things if they don't really serve a purpose to the songs? If an artist feels they need to spice up the material, perhaps that should be the first sign that the material isn't up to par. 

In the end, Spark is a disappointment to me. I think Drake White has a lot of potential, especially if he reels in some of the unnecessary excess and decides to let his songs speak for themselves in the future. In order to make that happen, I think he'll need to focus on the songs during the writing process and worry less about vocalizations and catch-lines. I think he has the potential release a truly great album somewhere down the road. 5/10

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