Lil' Chris - Big America

"Everybody wants to be a big star"

Lil' Chris's new album is finally out and it's a very strange animal indeed. I don't know what marketing genius decided that they'd rush out a cd with only six new tracks and then fill it with seven old ones from the last one and then call the package a "new album." It's more like an EP, I'd say. Plus there's the odd disconnect between the old tracks and the new ones, recorded with enough time between them that Chris's voice has...uh...changed. The album as a whole doesn't work, but I'm going to pretend it wasn't packaged the way it was and just focus on the new tracks, which are great. An actual album of them would have been a real treat, but I guess Those-That-Be didn't have enough faith in Chris's selling potential or something after his last album stalled. I'm posting Big America today, which is probably the most instantly catchy of the new songs. You can tell from the vocals that it was recorded closer to the first album. It would have fit very well on his debut, actually. The chorus is fantastic in an eighties, shout-along way. I still think this kid (well, adult now, I guess) has a knack for amazing pop songs. I just wish we would have gotten a few more of them this time around.

**Update: After further listens, I now really really wish there was more new stuff on this record. When I Hit Twenty is dang near 80's dance/synth/pop! Amazing!

Lil' Chris - Big America (zshare)

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here!)