Here is the Nevada-based country rock ensemble, Rick Lee Vinson Group, sweeping us with their latest release, The Ballad of Stuff that Never Broke My Heart. The title kind of says it all, or maybe not? Cause if you think that this release is going to be some sort of a listicle stating all the terrible things that happened to the artist but never broke him just for the sake of showcasing how much of a survivor he is, then you are absolutely in for a surprise!
The Ballad of Stuff that Never Broke My Heart is a proof of the band’s mastery of the art of storytelling, which is off-course no surprise to country music artists. Here is how the lyrical section begins: “I cut my hand on a bottle of beer working on my truck, but it wasn’t the bottle that broke my heart, it was you when you walked. Then I bumped my head against the door going for another beer, but it wasn’t the door that broke my heart, it was you and my raging fear.” Just from the very beginning of this song you are instantly transcended to the countryside with the distinct sound of the guitar intro which smoothly slides you into the first lyrical verse to skillfully draw a very vivid image of a countryman in action. You are not only interested because of the groovy and raw country rock feel of the release, but you are genuinely eager to listen to the lyrics and follow the storyline with the artist just to know what else was hurtful for the artist, yet not as much as a broken heart. It is as if you are listening to that one friend of yours who actually knows how to tell a story and keeps you entertained, no matter how sad or unfortunate the story actually is.
The song structure is pretty much a standard verse-chorus form which is quite common to country rock releases. It also has a short bridge which links you again to the chorus which has very distinct harmony created that accentuate that country feel and sound in the track. It is just too catchy to be easily forgotten.
This release is absolutely a must listen to, especially if you are looking for some music that can actually make you feel good and a little bit hyped, even though you might not really be listening to the most cheerful of stories; and this is an amazingly remarkable trait of The Ballad of Stuff that Never Broke My Heart by Rick Lee Vinson Group. So just go grab your headphones or airpods to enjoy some good music!
