Archives: OMG! Reviews: Florida-Georgia Line "Sun Daze"

Originally Posted 9/17/14

OMG Reviews: Florida-Georgia Line - Sun Daze

By Brittany Fant, 15-year-old music fan and aspiring reviewer
  

Listen here.

OMG this is sooo kewl. Whistling and flip flops and flip cup! What's not to love about this party-time epic!???? That keg gone be flowin'… you know it! I can't drink yet (legally), and beer is gross but that's awesome. I wish they'd make pumpkin spice beer y'all! Did he say "turn up some Molly?" That's a drug, so I'm a little disappointed in FGL, but it's hip to do Molly so whatevs.  It sounds like they're singing "getting my Sundays on" in the chorus, but maybe that's supposed to have a double meaning. These guys are so clever! I think this song might be about smoking marijuana. I've never hit the weed yo, but some of my boyfriends have and they were always so cool and laid back when they did, so it must be okay. LEGALIZE IT SON! My mom would be so disappointed in me if she read this review, but y'all don't tell her okay? This is a catchy song about laying back and taking it all in stride and chillin'. My sweetie Hunter Hayes would never sing a song like this but he's the kind of guy you bring home to mama. FGL are the kind of guys you party with before you get married, LOL. I know Trailer liked FGL's last song "Dirt" but he probably hates this one since he's old and a total buzzkill, but I love it! There's too much bad stuff happening in the world to listen to the mopey crap he likes. I mean, climate change, NFL players doing bad stuff, Kanye telling handicapped people to stand up… there's so much stress and important stuff going on, we all need to just chill and enjoy some happy music and get our "sun daze" on!!!!

I give this 4.5 of 5 heart hands!!

Chris Shiflett / "Welcome to Your First Heartache" / Jam in the Van

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Album Review / Frankie Lee / Stillwater

By Megan Bledsoe

Unsatisfied with the glamor of all the larger studios he had investigated, singer-songwriter Frankie Lee went home to Stillwater, Minnesota, and made a record of the same name. And just like its name might suggest, Stillwater is a mellow, easy listen, simple and laidback like Lee's hometown and so many other small towns across America and the world.

This album is simple, yes, but far from sparse or minimalistic. This is largely due to the richness and detail in instrumentation which serves to give variety to a mostly mid-tempo record. Upright piano features heavily on Stillwater, adding color to tracks like "Only She Knows" and providing the backdrop for the closer, "Ventura." There's lively harmonica on "Broken Arrow" and "Blinds," and a healthy amount of steel guitar sprinkled all over the album to add a more country flavor to what is an otherwise folk/Americana affair. And the flute comes out of nowhere in the opening track, "Speakeasy," to make this one of the most interesting moments on the whole thing. It might seem like a strange component in a country or Americana song, but it fits perfectly here and makes me want to hear more artists try to incorporate it into their songs. A little more variety in tempo could have helped this record go from nice and pleasant to really great, but these arrangements make up for that pretty well.

If you only pick one track to listen to from this album, make it "Downtown Lights" or "Blinds." The former was the first song released from the album and is said to be inspired by the commercialization of Stillwater and other small towns like it, as little towns lose their identities in favor of tourism and commerce. The latter is just one of those songs where the melody, the instrumentation, and the lyrics come together to form a really special musical moment.

This record isn't going to be for everyone because of its mellow, gentle nature. Some will find it sleepy, and it's indeed a mood record, for a lazy Sunday afternoon. It's a project which will inherently sound better in October than in May. This is an album for those who appreciate quieter, introspective moments, and for the right audience, it's a comfortable listen with a lot to enjoy.

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Megan Bledsoe is a proud Oklahoman who has been immersed in music most of her life, from writing it to performing it to just appreciating the power of a good song. She is the founder and editor of countryexclusive.com, where she has been writing about great music since 2015.

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Stillwater is available today here and all the other usual locations.

He's a Small Town Southern Man With Simple Tastes