Lance Miller – “Bacon Frying”

As a single, this probably isn’t a wise choice, other than that, I’m with Paula.

“Here Miller is taking audible cues from both John Conlee and Merle Haggard, and though that is no doubt pleasing to traditionalists it is also a significant point of concern in terms of the potential for success of this and future releases.”

This is more a knock on an industry that won’t allow a voice like Miller to succeed and I don’t see how we can fault him for being who he is and releasing simplistic, quality material that actually speaks to reality.

That’s not at all what I was getting at.

“maybe we have a tendency to be too forgiving of country music that isn’t particularly good.”

This isn’t good in what respect? The first half of the review compliments the song and I think your first paragraph in particular sums up the song well. You said his vocal was very capable in the review before saying it’s very bland, safe, and copycat.

So does it come down to a matter of distinctiveness? Country radio doesn’t remember Merle Haggard or John Conlee.

If the thumbs down were based solely on trying to break Miller as an artist, I’d agree, but like I said, that’s more of a knock on the industry.

I don’t think this song would have been a hit in 1960, or 1970, or 1980, either. And that has nothing at all to do with the industry. It has to do with the fact that it’s a capable vocal on a very good song that’s sung well, but which is nonetheless essentially disposable.

Advertising jingles can also be sung well, as can they be symbolic and even touching. That doesn’t mean that they are effective as pieces of artwork. I absolutely recognize how well this song is crafted, but I also recognize that it has a major flaw–it gives the vocalist nothing to work with.

There is nothing about this that makes it memorable. And that’s the reason I bring up the copycat issue–if you were to do an audio lineup where you played clips of this song along with clips from five demo singers, I don’t think 99% of the population would be able to tell you which one was the recording artist.

So, you could say that it’s boring, you could say that it’s uninteresting, and you could say that it’s irrelevant. I think those are all partially true, and the fact that it’s technically good doesn’t change any of the above.

Does sound a lot like Haggard- and I like the simplicity.

Why can’t he be the first to say “I’m sorry.” that seemed a bit strange.

I can’t help but wonder… won’t he feel like an idiot when he walks in and finds her cooking herself a BLT for the road?

Why do we have to over-analyze the songs? (And I’ve been as guilty as anybody at doing just that). I like the song. Kelly likes the song. Jim doesnt like the song. Why cant that just be enough?

Dr No – I dont think Jim is saying the song is mindless drivel. In fact what he said was “That’s what makes “Bacon Frying” such a rare specimen in today’s musical environment”. (Which makes me wonder why he gave it a thumbs down actually.)

By the way, any woman that would cook a BLT for the road is my kinda woman!

Kelly–come talk to me in three months and let me know how you feel about this song then.

Paula–I gave it a “thumbs down” because I think, as a whole, it doesn’t work as well as it should.

Likewise, I’ve given “thumbs up” ratings to many songs that have weaker lyrics or which have weaker vocals, but which nonetheless work as a unit more effectivley than this.

There is no set equation that I’m working with. I’m looking at artistic merit, craft, performance, production, context, commercial viability, career significance, gut feeling, and a number of other criteria. It’s difficult to make decisions about Up/Down, and sometimes the culmination of all that criteria is reflected more in the rating itself than in the text of the review. Ultimately, you have to be the judge as to whether you agree or disagree with me. I just want to make you really think about the song, and I’m going to put my best case forward to support my rating.

In taking into consideration all of that criteria, perhaps the rating reflects inputs that you or another reader will not be particularly concerned with. So let me say it like this: If I were a judge on American Idol, I would tell Miller exactly what I’ve said here. I’m I were working for his label, I would not have released this as a single. If I were an average country radio listener, I would change the channel when this comes on. And if I were a traditionalist, I would feel like the whole thing is pretty weak when compared to the music I consider great.

If this were a Merle Haggard song, where would you rank it in his catalog? Maybe that’s not fair, but when artist makes a record that, by all accounts, is specifically drawing from such a tradition, that’s how the record is going to be measured.

I don’t mean to be snarky, Kelly–I just literally want to know if you still like this song three months from now, because I question its staying power. Didn’t mean to rub you the wrong way.

Wow, all this heated discussion over what is basically a decent but non-descript traditional sounding single! I remember when Lance was on Nashville Star and his vocals didn’t impress me then either, but this is a likeable song. Okay, back to the heated discussion….

I think the song is okay … but how can that guy walk in a straight line with his eyes crossed like that?

Im pretty late for the party here, but ill put my two cents in.

First of all, there are parts where he really does sound just like John Conlee.

Second, I think this is a decent song. Like someone said earlier, classis Paul Overstreet. He cant be the first to say im sorry, because he views her frying bacon as an apology.

Someone asked how frying bacon is such a surefire sign that everythings ok. For my taste, thats a detail that makes me enjoy the song. It is those little things in relationships that are the reality of where they stand.

I dont know if this song has staying power, and i dont know if that has anything to do with the industry or Lance Millers forgettable vocal performance, but I do know I like the song.

I agree that the performance is nondescript, but it’s also true that this song knocks the socks off of pretty much everything was performed on the CMAs last week. It’s encouraging to know that there’s somebody out there that’s still trying to make authentic country records. At least it’s a step in the right direction.

Jim, since your ambivalence about the song seems to center around Miller’s vocal performance, could you see yourself giving it a “thumbs up” if it were recorded by a more capable vocalist?

As a working musician, I really like this song.
It has a commercial sound that lends itself to the guy playing 4 nights a week in a dance hall or bar.
It’s traditional & sticks in your mind.
Currently, it’s getting a lotta airplay in my area.
The more I hear it, the more familiar it feels.