Halfway to Hazard

Jesus, the great American outdoors and the love of a good woman—Kentucky duo Halfway to Hazard know their core material by heart. A Southern rock act, their dusty cowboy boots walk the line between the full production of Rascal Flatts and the steel guitar riffs of latter-day Bon Jovi, delivering a collection of country-edged tunes that may be sincere but are too heavy on the sentimental schmaltz.

Chad Warrix and David Tolliver are best at their most upbeat—teaming up with top Nashville songwriter Jeffrey Steele for the pacy, thick chords of "Countrified" and whooping their redneck roots on "Country 'til the Day We Die." But this energy makes only a brief appearance, giving way to a plodding parade of heartbreak ballads. Lead single "Daisy" takes us through the love, marriage and death-in-childbirth of the "sweet angel" who "loved the hell out of me," while "Die by My Own Hand" is a dull ode to a pure and virtuous woman. The somber melody of "Burn It Down" is proof that the band can manage a slow song if they inject a little drama and crescendo, but such sparks are too few and far between.

—Abby McDonald
08.29.07