Michael Raven – “Never Be The Same”

Michael Raven – “Never Be The Same” – Single Review

Well now!  This song is a…COUNTRY mile away from the last track I reviewed by Michael Raven, ain’t it?

Get it?  Y’all see what I just did there?

Thanks folks, I’ll be here all week.

Here I am cracking puns when Michael’s just dropped his most heartfelt and sincerely emotional single to-date.  No one ever accused a critic of having real human feelings I suppose.  All kidding aside, it is definitely fair to make a comment on the massive distance between what we heard in “Bends It Like A Guitar String” and Raven’s new single “Never Be The Same” – you’d almost wonder if it was even the same person if it wasn’t for the same signature burly beard, backwards hat, and sunglasses on each single’s artwork.

To an extent anyhow.  I think if you’re judging by the quality in the final results of the recording and Raven’s rocksteady performance, then it’s probably pretty obvious that the two songs are by the same dude, even if their respective themes are about as far apart as two tunes could ever be.  My comments on Country being a strange genre in the past review are still just as relevant when listening to this song of Michael’s…this would have merely been called a plain ol’ Rock ballad way back when I was growing up, but here in the realm of modern-day Country music, you can borrow a piece from any style or genre without fear these days.  Anyhow.  If he insists on squeezing into the Country category, then I’m inclined to respect his wishes.

So…let’s see here…what can I tell you about “Never Be The Same?”  I think the best place to start would be by saying it’s essentially a flawless tune…let’s make that clear right off the drop.  Michael’s voice is exceptional and the rich, boldness of his tones are a solid match with the man’s robust rustic look.  That’s all a checkmark in the win column.  The musicianship is solid, the songwriting is sound, and of course the theme itself is admirable.  As far as I can tell, “Never Be The Same” is about losing someone really important to ya…the kind of person that helped you function and be the best version you can be of yourself – what would it be like to have to put the pieces back together if you lost someone like that?  Terrifying to even think about it if you ask me.  Thematically, I’m sadly certain there are many people out there that will relate to what Michael is singing about…we all lose folks we love at some point along the way, and Raven’s tune will be able to provide some comfort to those that are still suffering from the loss.  Excellent tone in his lead, love the backing vocals added in, and he’s got a hook in here that definitely works as well.  These are all good things.  It’s hard to complain about quality execution, and Raven seems to know precisely how to answer the call with confidence when it comes time to perform.

Do I have any beef with “Never Be The Same?”  Fundamentally, not really.  At the end of the day, I can fully appreciate where he’s coming from in writing a song like this and what this would mean to him.  I do hear opportunities though, because they exist.  They always exist.  Let’s start with the hook – I like it, it works, but he is leaning on it HEAVILY in this song, to the point where he’s bent the melody in almost every line to be consistent with the main part that draws us in.  Obviously, there’s risk in that.  You can risk burning out the longevity of a song by not switching things up too much, that’s just the nature of the game, no matter how much we might like the sound of something we’re hearing.  As “Never Be The Same” continues on, the chorus & hooks become even more pronounced, but by the time we’re getting to what should be the finale, we’ve kind of heard everything this song is already going to do by that point – make sense?  So there’s room in there somewhere…opportunity to grow as a songwriter and performer and such…add in those fireworks…diversify…break from the patterns of the melody just for a moment or two, and you’ll notice how the dynamics work in your favor when you come on back to’em.  Lyrically…look…Raven seems like a good dude with a good heart based on what you’ll hear on “Never Be The Same.”  Does the big man have some room to like…say more than he is here?  Sure he does.  Again, he’s relying heavily on that main hook, which is fine to do to a certain extent – we’ll remember this song without a doubt – but in terms of expanding a tune’s longevity, that’s where variety and expanding on an idea play a massive role in the lifecycle of music.  Because it’s not just about having something in there that we can all sing along with lighters-up…it’s about making sure the mind is stimulated enough to keep us coming back for another listen, rather than have our brains tell us that we’ve heard it all before.  Personally, I give the guy credit…dude looks like he was born to run 100yrd touchdowns & crush 24-packs of Molson while he’s doin’ it…so to hear the man dive into genuinely vulnerable and emotional content on this new single was unexpected, and I felt like it worked out in Michael’s favor overall.  I’m well aware of the fact that he’s not reinventing the wheel with “Never Be The Same,” but not every song has to be about that.  Sometimes you just want music that is steady and reliable, that you know is expressing something specific that you’re feeling right now in ways you couldn’t find the words for…and a track like “Never Be The Same” will be the kind of cut that’ll be there for someone when they really need to hear it.  Raven’s done himself proud with the performance he’s put into singing this new song of his; I’d bet this single will open doors for him in the future to follow by highlighting the wide range of his sound in comparison to what you’ve heard from him so far as he continues to shape his career ahead.

Find out more about Michael Raven from his official website at:  https://michaelraven.com

Ya ha!  This link right here is the key to being the next artist or band featured here at sleepingbagstudios, so instead of just ignoring it, click it instead!