Wings of a Honky Tonk Angel

Amazon.com
The cover photo for this debut CD makes Brad Martin look like a male model (or a younger Rob Lowe). Though Martin has found his look, he has yet to forge an artistic identity, as the music varies widely in both style and quality. It's encouraging that he had a hand in writing eight of the 10 cuts, but the two that he didn't--"Before I Knew Better" and "The Fifth"--bring out the best in him. The former, which kicks off the album and is the first single, recalls the bittersweet luminosity of prime Rodney Crowell, while the latter carries conviction within its whiskey lament. As for the rest, it's hard for the same singer to reconcile mawkishly generic ballads such as "Completely" and "That's a Woman" with the lightweight novelty leer (and echoes of Jerry Lee Lewis's "Breathless") on "Rub Me the Right Way" and the Johnny Paycheck orneriness of "Damn the Whiskey." There's promise here, but it's buried beneath the sort of slick production and formulaic, derivative material that reduce a talented developing artist to mere product. --Don McLeese

Tracks:

Before I Knew Better
Completely
Rub Me The Right Way
On The Wings Of A Honky Tonk Angel
Run To Me
The Fifth
Just Like Love
That's A Woman
Damn The Whiskey
Wait

Amazon.com

The cover photo for this debut CD makes Brad Martin look like a male model (or a younger Rob Lowe). Though Martin has found his look, he has yet to forge an artistic identity, as the music varies widely in both style and quality. It's encouraging that he had a hand in writing eight of the 10 cuts, but the two that he didn't--"Before I Knew Better" and "The Fifth"--bring out the best in him. The former, which kicks off the album and is the first single, recalls the bittersweet luminosity of prime Rodney Crowell, while the latter carries conviction within its whiskey lament. As for the rest, it's hard for the same singer to reconcile mawkishly generic ballads such as "Completely" and "That's a Woman" with the lightweight novelty leer (and echoes of Jerry Lee Lewis's "Breathless") on "Rub Me the Right Way" and the Johnny Paycheck orneriness of "Damn the Whiskey." There's promise here, but it's buried beneath the sort of slick production and formulaic, derivative material that reduce a talented developing artist to mere product. --Don McLeese

Customer Reviews:

Wow!.......2003-07-06

This CD is a MUST for any country music fan. You would be crazy not to purchase this CD. Way to go Brad!

ONE OF THOSE SONGS.......2002-08-15

I NOTICED MOST OF YOUR REVIEWS ARE FROM LADIES, SO HERE'S A
FEW THOUGHTS FROM A COUNTY BOY. I WAS CAUGHT IN TRAFFIC ON A
HOUSTON FREEWAY WHEN I HEARD "BEFORE I KNEW BETTER". IT HIT ME
RIGHT IN THE CHEST AND I HAD TO STOP AND BUY THE CD. I LIKE
EVERY SONG ON THE CD, I THINK BECAUSE OF THE WAY ITS DELIVERED.
HAS ANYONE NOTICED THAT HE LOOKS LIKE JAMES DEAN ??

...Sooth my troubles away!.......2002-08-15

I bought this cd about a month ago, and it was a great move on my part. The reason I bought this was Brad Martin's first single, "Before I knew better", is such a awesome song, that I can relate to so much. The song seems so real, and is destined to be a #1 song! Of this year 2002, Steve Azar was the only new artist to hit a cord in me, but Brad Martin fits that also. All the songs have their own uniqueness. The song, "Completely", I just can't get enough of this. If, "Completely", does make it to radio people will fall in love with him all over again, even though they already are now! The song, "Rub me the right way", when I get home from work, and the job's gotten the best of me, this song helps cool me down, and do it again the next day. The song, "On the wings of a honky-tonk Angel", is one of the best traditional songs I've heard in years. "Run to Me", seems to appeal to lots of people, and its very catchy. The song, "The Fifth", is one of my favorites on this album, it's about the bottle getting the best of you. Again, this song is so real. Thats what Brad Martin can do, put a song in front of you, and make it so real and unbelievable! The song,"Just like Love", is a cute song thats real catchy, and the other songs are awesome too.
Like somebody said, Don't ever judge a album by it's cover. This guy is so much better, so traditional, but modern at the same time. The only bad thing I could say, is myself being selfish for wanting more songs. But for a debut album, this is exceptionally impressive. Who knows, he could have a shot at the ACM's best new male vocalist next year as well. Another good thing is he can write too, he wrote 8 of the 10 tracks. This is the perfect album for the working man who likes some good country music, to sooth his troubles away. I really do think that this guy will explode in a few months, and become a huge star like Brad Paisley is. I haven't heard a bad word about this album. You know why that is? This album is top notch all the way throughout.

Brad Martin. Wings of a Honky Tonk Angel.......2002-07-19

I recently bought Brad Martin's debut CD Wings of a Honky Tonk Angel, I would recommend it to everyone! There are several traditional country songs, as well as more modern country songs! It's a wonderful CD!

If you haven't bought it, do so NOW!.......2002-07-17

I bought Brad Martin's debut cd the day it came out and it stayed in my cd player for a week straight. This album is great for fans of the "traditional" country sound, as well as the newer "pop" country sound as many like to label it, though I feel no need to label music as long as it's good. Brad's traditional roots come out most clearly in cuts like "Damn the Whiskey," "The Fifth," and "Rub Me the Right Way." Then there are tracks like "Before I Knew Better" and "Completely" that show Brad's youthful, more modern side. I can't say enough good things about this album. There's not a single song on it that I feel the need to skip when listening to it, and the fact that Brad co-wrote on 8 of the 10 tracks only makes it better to me. He lets you into his head through his music. If you haven't bought this cd you definitely need to. Plus, I met Brad at this year's Fan Fair and so I can tell you first hand that you'll be supporting one of the nicest artists in Nashville if you buy the cd!

Music Album:

Music Album