Album Review: Josh Gracin - We Weren’t Crazy
Four long years after the release of his self-titled debut, Josh Gracin returns with We Weren’t Crazy, a full-throttle, balls-to-the-wall effort that, despite its obsession with tempo, reads as the most sincere country effort yet from an American Idol alumnus.
The album avoids all of the song-traps that artistically doom so many of its contemporaries, from the overwrought tear-jerker, to the ‘slice of life,’ to the lesson song. Gracin makes no play to religious sentiment, nor to loving country life, nor even to patriotism. We Weren’t Crazy contains not an ounce of pretense.
Gracin demonstrates both great discipline and great bravery here when it comes to song selection, piecing together a collection that is considerably substantive and surprisingly emotionally complex: “Invisible” is a love song peppered bittersweet, which Gracin delivers with passion and the tinniest hint of envy, while “Sweet September” compellingly captures how the gravity of a moment can stick to us forever.
Indeed, We Weren’t Crazy is a near flawless set of contemporary country material, and Gracin handles each song capably (and at times brilliantly). As an album, however, it falters beneath the weight of a significant lack of contrast born from his seemingly unrelenting desire to perform in overdrive.
Tempo isn’t intrinsically a bad thing, especially for an artist who will live and die by his ability to appeal to a young, pop-country oriented audience. But there is a point at which too much tempo becomes awkward, and that threshold is certainly reached and surpassed on this sophomore effort, an album that essentially never takes so much as a moment to catch it’s breath.
The end result of this onslaught of speed and power (heavily compressed guitars and crescendoing choruses abound) is that there develops a sense of distance between the singer and his audience. On a record that is being promoted as deeply personal, Gracin seems to consciously avoid intimate musical settings, instead remaining well within the comfortable confines provided by the type of songs that inherently utilize slick production and robust arrangements.
The true test of a vocalist, however, is how he handles a song when there exists only the melody to rely on, when there are few sonic distractions which divert the listener’s attention and downplay the importance of the voice and delivery. We Weren’t Crazy fails to prove that Gracin can thrive in those quiet musical moments.
Burning too hot for too long, it is a solid effort that would greatly benefit from one or two standout ballads, and which, despite its many strengths, ultimately falls short of artistically exceptional.

Recommended Tracks: “Invisible“, “We Weren’t Crazy“, “Found“.
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9 Comments
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April 10, 2008 at 8:43 am Permalink
I’m afraid I must demur. Now Motorhead, that’s an “onslaught of speed and power.”
April 10, 2008 at 12:56 pm Permalink
I haven’t listened to the whole album, but I thought he could have done more with “Telluride.” As it is now, it makes me “think Tim McGraw” (sorry Taylor), and actually lacks the passion that McGraw’s version had.
April 10, 2008 at 1:16 pm Permalink
Chris–it’s not the same kind of ’speed and power’ that you’re thinking of, just as it’s not the same kind of speed and power we might find on a hair metal record. But it is speed and power nonetheless and in a comparative sense. We can’t compare this record to Motorhead. We can (and must) compare this record to Chris Cagle, Jason Aldean, and Gracin’s other contemporaries who are aiming for (roughly) the same market.
Brody–I will generally agree with you about Telluride, but I think about how long we’ve been listening to Tim’s version. The fact that we’re so familiar with a previous version makes it tough to call Gracin out for this, especially when one or both will remain album cuts.
I do think he calls upon some of McGraw’s stylings, though.
April 10, 2008 at 1:36 pm Permalink
I have to agree with Brody about “Telluride.” I like Tim’s version much better. Then again, I liked Marcel’s version of “Nothin’ To Lose” much better too. I just don’t think that Gracin is my cup of tea. It’s not that I listen to McGraw’s or Marcel’s versions of those songs much at all, because I rarely do. I just like their versions better. The album just bored me, really…and I’m actually a sucker for up-tempo music. I guess taste is just relative…
April 10, 2008 at 1:39 pm Permalink
The record just didn’t strike me as having too much uptempo stuff on it. Granted, I’m easily bored.
April 10, 2008 at 2:01 pm Permalink
as an uberfan of motorhead, i cannot let it be implied that they are (or have ever been) a hair-metal band. lemmy would hurt someone if he heard that. they are the perfect cross of punk and metal.
April 10, 2008 at 2:38 pm Permalink
That wasn’t my implication, but I can see how it would be taken that way. So bring it on, Lemmy!
April 10, 2008 at 3:54 pm Permalink
i’ve met lemmy. he’s huge. he’s massive. and then there’s the mole. he’s intimidating. he’s also quite nice and personable. also very polite. he won’t hurt you. :)
April 11, 2008 at 2:22 pm Permalink
Thanks for posting your review of the album. I think his debut album had some solid hits which this one lacks. I have heard that Unbelieve (Ann Marie) is his next single, which sounds like he’s hoping for repeating the success of Brass Bed. I think he’s a great vocalist and lots of potential, I was a bit disappointed the album wasn’t better. I agree with your 3 1/2 star rating.
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