Brandon Chase

Unfortunately, this hesitant approach to the material exposes the weaknesses of Chase's tracks. It's country enough all right... but not much more. His music consists primarily of stock pop country ballads crooning about how much he loves his girl, apple pie, capitalism and God.

While there's nothing wrong with liking any of those things – especially with ice cream – it seems a shame he's so quick to disregard the experiences he's gained while out of country. His songs hint at dealing with the struggle of living in two worlds at once, but fail to explore or learn from these problems.

Chase isn't without his virtues. He has movie star looks and charisma that bleeds through his photographs. His voice is clear and smooth, and possessing surprising depth and range when he chooses to deploy it. However, his reticence to really put his heart into his music holds it back. A few moments of real passion, such as his crooning at the end of She's My Kind of Country, hint at unrevealed potential still deep within Chase.

As things stand, Brandon Chase's future success may mostly hinge on his ability to project a unique voice as a country artist who can find more ways to talk about the trails and trials of a 21st Century southern boy. 'Til then his EP probably isn't worth your five bucks unless all you want is a quick fix of disposable country pop.

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