Monday, June 27, 2011

Phil Vassar, "Let's Get Together"

Songwriters:  Phil Vassar, Tony Mullins

Ouch.  Just ouch.

In case you were expecting a cover of the classic Disney tune from The Parent Trap... no, we weren't that fortunate.  Phil Vassar's new single "Let's Get Together" is just another in the long line of wannabe summer smashes of 2011, and it's way cheesier than just about any Disney tune.

It goes from his baby brining' him a "big ole bag o' kisses" to the grating hook of "Let's get-get-get together."  The smarmy lyrics leave a bad taste in your mouth by the first chorus.  The song aims for a singalong melody, but doesn't quite make it, and the song fails to sound even the slightest bit catchy.  From start to finish, the entire product sounds like nothing but another factory-assembled summer hit tailor-made for endless airplay, and one that should have been left on the threshing room floor.  Some might retort such a judgment with 'Oh, you're just over-thinking it' and 'But it's just a fun summer song.'  I'm not buying into that.  A bad song is a bad song no matter what form it comes in.
Phil's written a few good songs in his time (of which this does not happen to be one), some of which have become hits for artists like Jo Dee Messina and Tim McGraw.  But his own success on the country charts has become somewhat sporadic in recent years, with his last real hit ("Love Is a Beautiful Thing") being four years ago.  It would be quite perplexing to see him return to the Top 10 with a single as weak as this.

PHIL'S SCORE:  4
(Scores are given on a scale of 1 to 10)