University of Virginia Library

Trite Lamentation

The country-rock sound of
"Sometimes" is refreshing; and
although the song initially
seems to be a trite lamentation
of lost love, one soon realizes
that writer Kirwan is poking
fun at the heartbreak theme, if
not at "Heartbreak" itself. A
Beatles influence can be heard
at several points in the vocals,
the lightness of these spots
being matched by a keyboard
that peeks through now and
then. The smoothest and most
natural lead guitar also stands
out in this cut.

"Lay it all Down" is the
most coherent selection,
although the hard beat
introduced with the first guitar
licks tends to lag in a few spots.
The vocals, drowned only a
couple of times, drive along
with the music and help to tie
the song together. The
"sing-along" phrases, "Lay
down your burden of sorrow,"
and "Lay down your burden of
hurt" draw the listener up into
the song and carry him along,
not too far, to the end, which
is a disappointment because of
its standardization.