CD Review: A Thousand Horses – A Song To Remember – by Jeffrey Kurtis for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show
Low Country Sound/Elektra Records
Every so often, usually right when we’re
in the middle of going through a tough spot in our lives, a song will come
along that hits us perfectly and satisfies our emotions in just the right ways.
That’s the case for me with “A Song To Remember,” the newest single from A
Thousand Horses – the group who previously gave us “Smoke” and “(This Ain’t No)
Drunk Dial.”
The lead single from their forthcoming,
sophomore album titled Let The Band Play On, tackles a very relatable subject
that we’ve all experienced before; the confusing up and down emotions that
inevitably come whenever we’re left feeling stuck after a breakup.
Painting the picture that relives the
exact night of the breakup, the song opens with the line “Taillights don’t lie,
didn’t even have to say goodbye.” However, it quickly moves us from the past and
into the here and now as we catch up with our narrator as he’s saddled up to a
bar and not wanting to go home, while instead, trying to find ways to make the painful
memory disappear.
There’s a very catchy vibe that rolls us
out of the verse and smacks us into the sing-a-long chorus where he runs us
through a list of how he’s torturing himself with a song from the jukebox that
reminds him of the past, while simultaneously drinking to try and wash it away
and get over it: “I need a song to remember, and a drink to forget,” “when the
melody hits me, little coke in my whiskey,” etc.
The second verse sees his confusing
emotions reaching their high point as the song on the jukebox comes to its
final notes and he’s finished his drink, “I can’t decide if I miss you tonight
or I’m glad that you’re gone.”
The end of relationships are tough and
hit you hard as a breakup throws every plan you’ve made with your better half
into complete disarray while sending you into an emotional struggle with
yourself in the wake of its aftermath. This is the exact spot where “A Song To
Remember” sits.
Reminiscent of arena rock in the sense
that this has a big feel to it, A Thousand Horses smashes that inspiration together
with their familiar Southern rock tilted vibe that leans on strong guitars to
drive the melody while the lead vocals of Michael Hobby conveys all the proper
emotions of the lyric.
This niche in their overall sound allows
them to fit comfortably with what’s hot and current in the Top 40 today, but at
the same time it sounds nothing like the current crop of songs and that’s the main
ingredient as to why A Thousand Horses has been able to stand out from the pack
as they do with “A Song To Remember.”
Check out the official music video for
the song at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLL8flSGtAQ