Will Hoge is a very underrated artist. Apart from really one or two singles, he’s not gotten the mainstream recognition he likely deserves for his talent as an artist, but he has had a very successful career as a songwriter (including songs recorded by Lady A and Eli Young Band “Even If It’s Breaks Your Heart” being the most successful). He’s often able to capture common man themes and writes about the world from a perspective that is more weary but, ultimately, hopeful.
1. Deadbolt – Hoge opens the album with a track about emotional intimacy and the physically intimacy that can bring. It’s about having someone who helps you see you can be better than the version of you your mind has let you believe isn’t worth much. For many, unlocking that emotional connection is a key to having a more fulfilling romantic relationship. “You wander over to me/I hear you whispering my name/A perfect hallelujah in a sweet and slow refrain/Lonesome candle flickers/I watch you taking off your dress/The hardest part is over I got no sins left to confess”
2. End Of The World – “And if it’s the end of the world/There’s really nothing else I can do/If it’s the end of the world/I just wanna spend it with you” sings Hoge on this piano driven ballad about finding someone you can get through life with despite how bleak everything else may seem. Interestingly the songs builds to what seems like it will be a big musical moment and basically cuts it off right before the moment you might expect a big guitar riff to lead into a solo or an extended instrumental section.
3. Some People – Cutting into privilege and how the platitudes that get thrown around don’t really make sense whenever someone is truly in need of help, Hoge bites back with this track about the haves and have nots: “Some people say money can’t make you happy/Some people must never have been broke”
4. Accountable – “Now there’s better days to come/And the truth is never wrong/So come on lend a hand/Give anything you can/Because now we’re all/Accountable” sings Hoge to close this song that does a better job than most at being a sort of everyone-is-in-this-together rallying cry type song. There’s pain and heartache, but there’s a better path forward he believes. After more sparse production on the first three tracks, Hoge gives a lot more space for the music to step in rather than pushing the focus towards the lyrics predominantly.
5. I’d Be Lying – Hoge battles with an ex’s memory that he can’t get over. While his family and friends cross his mind, he always ends up back around to the memories he made with his ex, despite his best efforts. “But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about you/I keep on pretending but it ain’t the truth”
6. My Daddy’s Eyes – Hoge is so good at capturing the working man’s energy in his songs (“Strong” being his definitive version of this type of song and it was used in truck commercials to specifically target that market) and this is another strong version of that. Here, it’s about cyclical issues that come from small towns with little prospects. He covers pain pill addiction and family ties in this all-too-common narrative. “Hadn’t had a raise in 8 long years/Times are getting kinda tough/Since the suits ran off the union/Seems like they’re the only ones that have enough” This song is mostly piano driven, almost silent apart from the vocals at certain points.
7. You Love Me Anyway – “I know I’m a mess but I just do the best I can/Between you and me and therapy I’m almost a better man” throwing a mirror up to his flaws and quirks, but admitting he is trying to work on them, Hoge points out how much his partner loves him despite his flaws. Also, interestingly, he admits he’s in therapy which is something that you don’t usually hear in the genre except from an artist like Morgan Wade.
8. Good While It Lasted – Certainly touching on his own career and life, Hoge sings about the flirtation he had with mainstream success and a romance he wanted but notes how these things were just temporary “Just like that perfect moment before the darkness turns to dawn/It was good while it lasted but it didn’t last too long”
9. I Still Got It – Likely playing a bit with a euphemism here (though not directly), Hoge sings about an old hot rod car that may not seem like much, it may even get him laughed at by other guys, but it is able to help him pick up women. “May run low/But it never runs out/Don’t let the years fool you/Still got it where it counts” This probably the most the music really let’s loose on this album with harmonica and electric guitar riffs punctuating the sort of old school vibe of the song.
10. Tenderhearted Boys – “And the words I say can get lost in the noise/Know as you both move along/Even years after I’m gone/Promise me you’ll be tenderhearted boys” Hoge closes the album with a word of advice to his sons. He sees beautiful traits in them and he cautions them to not let the world take those traits from them, to lean on one another when he’s not around and make sure they continue on being good people.
DWBelcherWorks 