People who write music reviews are, it must be said, essentially lazy. We all look for references that describe the music we talk about, and simultaneously we all want to be Jon Landau and unearth the next big star.
So I get it, I get why three ladies who write their own stuff, are young and most definitely country might get people writing “The Chicks” and switching off their laptops, and that’s pretty much what’s happened to Runaway June.
Now, they might sound like them. Truth is, I’ve never heard The Chicks, Dixie or otherwise, but I have heard “Backstory” – all three songs of it – and I can say with some confidence that RJ are stars in waiting.
They know it too. Signed to the massive BBR Group (if its country, they are probably involved) and working with Dan Huff, means only one thing: This is a supercharged assault on the charts.
Backtrack to Huff for a second. Google him, and he’s worked with essentially every chart star for 40 years. MV owes him a debt of gratitude for Belinda Carlisle’s “Heaven On Earth” alone, but I digress.
Actually that’s only a slight detour, because from the glorious, blues tinged anthem that is “Forgot About That” kicks in with the chorus you can’t forget, you know the top 40 lineage, you know its going to resonate with pretty much anyone who has that one person they can’t forget.
It’s meant to. They all are, in truth, because the ballad “Down The Middle” ain’t going for niche. Nope, this is going for mass appeal.
The overt pop of “T-Shirt” – all sassiness (“you used to be my favourite thing to wear to bed”) and a hook that is so big it could land a whale is the big hit, you just know it.
And that’s the point. Forget the “Backstory” and meet the new stars of country pop. It’s that simple.
Rating 8/10