Kevin Fisher – Beer Me

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/2qJRMPHw76g5UQ4fuFfhFS

This album is definitely a tale of two albums. You can make a valid argument that writing a quasi-concept album about the fun provided courtesy of beer narrows the potential appeal of Kevin Fisher’s debut album Beer Me, but you can equally contend that few albums in 2017 provide a more accessible and all encompassing entertainment experience for listeners. Much of the credit for the craft that goes into these songs, and there is plenty of craft, found first important exposure with artists as diverse as Uncle Kracker, Sara Evans, and pop country hit machine Rascal Flatts. He’s got a considerable sense of humor, despite its range being confined to one topic on Beer Me, and it comes through on each of the songs, some to a greater degree than other naturally. The fine production puts a big exclamation point on the release and shows across the board consistency.

Beer Me opens with the one two anthemic punch of “Beer” and the title song “Beer Me”. Fisher never overplays his hand as a singer and has a likable tenor voice that takes just the right tone with these opening cuts. There’s an obvious mix of country rock and blues rock influences colliding in these songs, but they mesh to great effect. “Dog Beers” is the first track where there’s an indication of deeper or duel meanings on the album. It has a stronger traditional country music sound peppering the mix. Fisher turns the music towards a tropical sort of bounce on the track “I Wish You Were Beer” and, despite the comical hue to the title and the lyric, there’s a whiff of melancholy wafting through the song. There’s an anthemic feel to the song “Better Beer”, but it has a decidedly country music slant compared to the rock spirit we heard in the album’s opening tandem.

“To Beer or Not to Beer” is one of the album’s outright rockers with a dramatic arrangement and some excellent playing complementing the humorous lyrics/ “I Like Beer” seems to takes some of its cues from the earlier “I Wish You Were Beer”, but there’s no undercurrent of heart ache or dissatisfaction running through the tune. “Beer in the Fridge” takes on a bluesy yowl, but everything comes out with a professional polish along with an emotionally piercing tone. The lyrics retain their customarily comedic cast, but it’s thankfully never sophomoric. “Beerly Beloved” powers through with some rock muscle while “Beer Thirty” switches gears into a breezy country shuffle and it’s easily the most country music moment on the release. “Last Cal” definitely has a strong country influence, perhaps not as overt, and closes Beer Me on a near perfect note. Kevin Fisher’s first studio release under his name definitely has some aspects of a novelty album, but there’[s a surprising depth to some songs and excellent music powers the entire collection. It’s one of the year’s most enjoyable releases in this vein.

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wytEC6H0Ads

Mindy McCall