Hicks – “Stomp A Little Louder” Feat. Steve & Ryan Wariner

Hicks – “Stomp A Little Louder” Feat. Ryan & Steve Wariner – Single Review

This was actually pretty interesting to me.

Even though we’re dipping into the well of Country-music once again…located miles outside my county and one-horse town…I think what Hicks is doing with his particular style and sound on his new single “Stomp A Little Louder” deserves to be discussed in detail here on the pages today.  Featuring the talents of a father/son duo lending an assist, Steve & Ryan Wariner help Hicks stomp their way to victory here with a vibrant modern-day Country sound on this dynamic collaboration.

What made it especially interesting to me was the writing and composition of it all…I mean, the performance is certainly noteworthy too, it’s perfect…but let’s get past that for a second here.  What’s really working in Hicks’ favor here on this tune is that the twist on his modern-day sound isn’t the typical hooks that you hear being robbed & stolen from the Pop/R&B genres…which is generally what we hear out there on the radio today.  Hicks clearly has different influences – but it’s actually quite clever in how they’re incorporated into the music here and how much they ‘fit’ into the modern-day Country-music sound in a very similar way.

I’d assume that those influences are largely based in 80’s Rock and possibly even Hair-Metal in behind what’s undoubtedly also a large dedication to the Country music genre – but LISTEN to the way this track is written.  Tell me an artist like Bon Jovi couldn’t have pulled something like this off…or a Motley Crue…a Billy Idol…a Def Leppard or a Kenny Loggins…I mean, any of these bands or artists leaned a little more towards a Country-music twang and you’d seriously have something very close to what you’ll hear in “Stomp A Little Louder.”  There’s much more emphasis on the Rock-side of this tune rather than pumping-up the Pop-hooks…and I think that slight switch in the overall enormity of the writing could be something that could potentially pay off for Hicks.  It certainly makes for a satisfying listening experience…everything about “Stomp A Little Louder” from the music to the vocals is thick, rich, bright and full of sound in every pore of its genetic makeup.  Great rumble & growl in the texture of the vocals!

There is no denying that this has all the ingredients to becoming a huge hit in the Country-music genre…those are good folk that generally like to just have a really great time when they’re listening to music & dancing with the boots & hats and all that…  I’m positive they’ll appreciate the big & burly sound of “Stomp A Little Louder” and its completely sing-along inducing chorus.  The build in the song from the verse to chorus is solid…and you’ve gotta appreciate the way this track bursts open once the chorus arrives.  Solid guitar solo…short & sweet, leads into a quick (but completely rad) spoken-word aside before ramping back into the chorus once again…the hooks are relentlessly catchy and the performance is everything you could ever hope it to be.  Combined with the sparkling and stunning punch to the production and the crystal-clarity of the recording on this boot-stomping single and you’ve got all the right ingredients to the recipe that makes up the core of this cut.  That real cherry on top is bringing in that slight twist more towards the Rock-music vibe…I think it’s just enough of a switch to make what Hicks & the Wariners have come up with on “Stomp A Little Louder” stand-out a bit more than the rest out there.  Really vibrant, crisp & crunchy – the energy in this tune is massively contagious and the groove is undeniably catchy; solid tune.

Find out more from the Hicks official homepage:  http://hickscountry.com/

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