Customer Reviews

Barely Famous Hits

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The Warren Brothers are probably the most under-rated act in country music. They are great live performers, which is why acts like Tim McGraw and Brooks & Dunn continue to book them to open their shows, even though radio does not embrace their music. Lead singer Brett Warren is one of the most expressive vocalists in any genre of music, able to sell the tender love song "That's The Beat Of The Heart" and the rowdy rocker "Guilty" with equal facility. Collectively, the brothers contribute harmonies of a tightness not heard in Nashville since the heyday of Foster & Lloyd.

This cd is a decent retrospective of the Warrens' first three albums. The top 30 hit "Hey Mr. President" appears on a Warren Brothers album for the first time, while two of their higher charting singles are strangely omitted: the rockabilly charmer "She Likes To Rock" and the earnest ballad "Better Man." They can be found on the Warrens' 1998 debut cd Beautiful Day In The Cold Cruel World. The collection's highlight is its leadoff single "Change," the theme song for the Warren Brothers' CMT series Barely Famous. It's received little airplay, despite being catchier than anything else currently being played at country radio.

The Warren Brothers are an amazing duo who sadly, aren't praised as much as they should be. These guys have too much potential to let them go to waste. The only reason that they're "barely famous" is because of the audience they're trying to appeal to. They want to be heard by the bubble gum country listeners that jump on whatever bandwagon sounds good for the time. The thing is though, that the people that can actually make them big are too busy listening to that same bubble gum country music. So now that I'm done with my personal vendetta, on with the review...
The songs on this album really prove what they are trying to become. There's not a track on this album that I don't like. The songs are all catchy yet meaningful. It proves their ability as not only performers, but as artists. I don't own any of their previous albums but after this one I bought all of them to see what other hiddens talents they possess. I think they deserve long overdue credit for their musical abilities. I would highly suggest buying this c.d.

First of all, please ignore the references to Nashville Star, The TV show Barely Famous, etc {both good shows...but,} please just listen to their music.
In my opinion, they are a refreshing change. Almost "Country Rock". I love to hear the guitar in their songs.
With his CD, I was disappointed at first when I heard "Sell a Lot of Beer" because it wasn't the commercial version I'd heard on the radio. This version starts as almost acoustic. Then after listening to it a few times, it grew on me to the point that I was embarrassed that I had fallen in to the "Commercial" trap and didn't really listen to this different version with an open mind. Once I did I loved it.
These guys are immensely talented whether they are performing their own songs, or letting another artist do it. {They've written for Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Lynyrd Skynrd, Van Zant among others. That speaks for itself.

I don't normally review Greatest Hits packages, but since A) there aren't any real major hits on this collection (something the brothers themselves admit!) and B) I didn't get into the Warren Brothers until their last release so, since a lot of this material is pretty much new to me, I figured "What the heck?" Any promotion is good promotion, right? That said, I'm glad this album came out...I fell in love with 2004's brilliant WELL DESERVED OBSCURITY, after being turned on to the Warren's via Nashville Star, but I was hesitant to pick up their first two albums, not knowing if the material would be similar or as powerful. Judging from the strength of the early material, I'm going to have to rethink that line of thought. In fact, it's the earlier material that sounds the best....the three songs from OBSCURITY have (sadly) been remixed, losing most of the charm and punch that initially made them so fresh and energetic. All three cuts now have a...sameness...to them, sort of a bad demo quality. Do yourself a favor and check out WDO for far-superior versions of "Change", "Comeback" and "Sell Alot Of Beer." Because of this, we'll just be concentrating on the older songs in this review. After "Change" opens things up, we seque into the thought-provoking "What We Can't Have." This "the-grass-is-always-greener" mid-tempo rocker sails along with a nice, steady groove, earnestly doling out lyrics from the viewpoint of the singer, a member of the audience, a bar patron and the bartender. When Brett Warren sings the lines "We all want what we can't have/It's enough to drive you mad" you're taken aback by both the truth and the sadness therein. Special note also has to be made of Brad Warren's sterling guitar work. There's an aching beauty to "Greyhound Bus" that is almost palpable...with it's delicate piano runs, muted rhythm section and understated vocal, one initially thinks this is just another break-up song. By song's end (and a clever lyrical twist!), you realize just how much more it is. Another winner! I also really love "Guilty"...this country/rock hybrid has a swagger to it that's downright infectious! Sly and slinky, the track creeps up on you, much the way love can, according to the lyrics. Anchored by some rock-solid drumming and punchy harmonica accents, Warren's vocal is spot-on, culminating in the joyous "Guilty!" chorus. THIS should have been a hit! There's an almost tortured beauty to "Where Does It Hurt" that just punches you in the gut...this gorgeous ballad is like a teardrop and a hug set to music, reminding us A) that life will always have it's ups and downs and B) sometimes we'll be the support system, other times we'll need the support. It's made all the more powerful when it involves family, passed from generation to generation. Add stinging pedal steel and a mournful, yet forceful, lead vocal and you have a true classic. Mark my word, this WILL be a hit one day, if not for the Warren Brothers then as a cover version by someone else. I also LOVE the Eaglesesque "Waiting For The Light To Change." With it's bopping piano, So Cal harmonies, ringing guitars and sardonic lyrics ("Sitting in my car in Southern California/Just like I do every day/Thinking about my life/And whether I should go or stay/Yes, I'll turn this car around/I'm just waiting for the light to change"), this is classic California 70's country/pop/rock at it's best, something that could have very easily fit nicely onto THE LONG RUN. Another major "Shoulda been!!" "Move On" is a hard-rockin', acoustic guitar-driven slice of life. With it's caustic (but truthful) lyrics - "We're always saying things/That we don't always mean/Like I love you/And I'll be with you for all eternity/We don't have that long/To work this out" - this is the kind of break-up song that is universal, hitting you below the belt (I particularly love the lines "And I don't want to stay/Just because I don't want to leave/I got one foot out the door/I got one foot in my mouth"). "Hey Mr. President" is as topical now, if not moreso, as when it first came out a few years ago. It's heartfelt message of unity is a beautiful, albeit distant, one to envision...and it must be a tough one for any Commander In Chief to spearhead. A sedate, yet tasty, arrangement provides added punch. Things end on both an up note ("King Of Nothing") and a down one ("That's The Beat Of A Heart"). "King Of Nothing" is one of the most haunting songs of the last decade. All swirling guitars - Brad's acoustic solo is KILLER! - emotional vocals and pained lyrics ("I'm standing on top of the world tonight/But I feel like jumping"), this is another classic that, hard as it is to imagine, slipped thru the cracks. What a shame! "That's The Beat Of A Heart" is anything but a classic....a duet with Sara Evans, it's just cliched pop drival, everything that's represented the worst of country music over the last twenty years. I just can't fathom the Warren's wanting to cut this song...their then-label had to have pushed it on them! But one cluncker is no big deal...the rest of this disc proves that the Warren Brother's trademark intelligence, wit and creativity were evident right from the start, and that's not something you can argue so strongly about most acts in regard to their first couple of releases. Yep, the Warren Brothers may be BARELY FAMOUS right now, but with talent like this...well, I think they'll soon be referred to as HUGELY FAMOUS! (I am docking the disc half a star for not including the lyrics....one of the best things about Brad and Brett!).

This is a really good CD. The Warren Bros. need more recognition for the great song writers they are. The melodies are good but the words are wonderful. Buy this CD & help them go from barely to really famous.

The Warren Brothers are one of the best duos in country music, but at the same time they are the least reconizable. They are some of Nashville's great song writers, writing song for Tim McGraw to Lynyrd Skynyrd. There CD "Barely Famous Hits" is one of their greatest. They wrote 10 of the 12 tracks on this album, highlights include, Change, Greyhound Bus, What We Can't Have, and the song that they live everynight, Sell A Lot Of Beer. If you open your mind and give this album a try, you won't be dissapointed.

These guys are amazing song writers..they've written for Tim McGraw, Martina McBride and many others. This is an album defintely worth buying..these guys maybe barely famous but their music will forever live on!

Although I own all 3 of the Warren Brothers CD's, I had to pick this one up to feel complete (and to support them, of course) because I believe these guys possess true talent when it comes to songwriting. I think they need a bit of a helping hand getting their feet off the ground tho, if you will.

My first impression of this CD was... why all the remixes? What was wrong with the originals? It was what I heard first and had come to love (as most of us will do) and I found the remixes not nearly as gutsy and down-to-earth as the original cuts. Brett's voice softened and sounded somewhat "marketed" as did some of the instrumental/musical aspects of the CD. Hard to explain. I didn't get the genuine feel from these storytellers as I did hearing their first 3 CD's.

With that being said, I do like the CD. I agree with another reviewer in regard to leaving out "Better Man" w/ once Doobie Brother Micheal McDonald singing harmony - one of my favorites.

I hope these guys fulfill their dreams... they've worked long and hard at trying to.

Though they've plied charted four tunes in the midlands of the Billboard country chart, appeared as judges on Nashville Star, and hosted their own show on CMT, the Warren Brothers' music is more firmly rooted in the country-rock of The Eagles, the heartland music of John Mellancamp, and the power-balladry of Bryan Adams. Their trio of CDs for BNA (the last of which didn't make it out of BNA's doors) never found great commercial success, but their loyal fanbase and the flurry of TV activity has provided the marketing motor for this reissue. These dozen tracks were plucked from all three of the brothers' BNA CDs (including 3 titles from their unreleased third), and adds the theme song "Change" from their CMT program, "Barely Famous."

As songwriters, the Warrens have a surprisingly wry edge for Nashville - just check out the album's title and their very knowing bar-band hoot, "Sell a Lot of Beer." The Warrens write playful and sarcastic, but they're effective with warm and sentimental. Brett Warren is a moving vocalist, with just enough edge to keep his power ballads from sounding like hackneyed arena fodder. Brad Warren's guitar playing provides a great deal more emotion than the standard Nashville studio picker would likely muster for the duo's rock-based compositions. The fiddles and dobro are decoration more than core elements, but they provide leavening that keeps these tracks out of the middle of the road.

Those who've just recently latched onto the Warren's through their TV work will find this disc to be a solid introduction to their catalog, pulling in tracks from their two BNA albums, the unreleased third LP (some of whose tracks appeared on the indie released "Well Deserved Obscurity"), the multi-artist "Patriotic Country" collection, and the CMT show theme that will draw the most new listeners to the Warrens' catalog. 3-3/4 stars if allowed fractional ratings. [©2005 hyperbolium dot com]

Prime Cuts: Sell A Lot of Beer, That's the Beat of the Heart (Duet with Sara Evans), King of Nothing

Thanks in capacious measure to recent media exposure such as Nashville Star and CMT, the resurgence in interest in Warren Brothers has led to BNA Records' decision to release "Barely Famous Hits." "Barely Famous Hits," as the title suggests, is a collection of 12 songs garnered from Warren Brothers' recordings hitherto. Of these 12 selections, only 4 (Guilty, Move On, That's the Beat of the Heart, Where Does It Hurt and Sell A Lot of Beer) manage to ease their way onto the high and mighty Billboard chart with "Move On" being their sole top 20 hit nesting at 17 position in 2000. Chart positions aside, sonically these Warren siblings, Brad and Brett, owe more of their musical lineage to John Mellancamp, Tom Petty and Bruce Hornsby than George Jones or Merle Haggard. Though there is the presence of the requisite fiddles and steel guitars, the music of Warren Brothers is quintessentially rock-driven with the occasion nod to those tight harmony vocals of the 70s-sounding Eagles. Though Brett Warren's lead vocals has an inherent bluesy edge tingle, it is mellow and on the ballads he comes across as bona fide with a pulsating understated passion. But that's not the end of the line as far as their talents go, together these Warren siblings have co-penned most of these paeans usually with other Nashville greats such as Tom Douglas, Danny Tate, James House, Bill Anderson among others. As co-writers, the Warren Brothers have had also contributed recent album tracks for Tim McGraw ("Blank Sheet of Paper"), Faith Hill ("The Lucky Ones") and Van Zant ("I Can't Help Myself").

So, how does this "greatest hits" collection flare? Over the course of their brief career of just three CDs, these Warren siblings have had their finer moments. Best of which is the love theme to the movie "Where the Heart Is," "That's the Beat of the Heart," a delightful duet with Sara Evans. While many lesser talents tend to over sing on such power love ballads, the performance here is subdued without being bromidic. In fact, brimming with a quiet verve Brett Warren has never sounded so impassionate perfectly complimented with Sara Evans animated delivery. Quite fetching too is the midtempo popish "King of Nothing," with some lyrically similarity to George Strait's "King of the Mountain," such a tale of abject loss has never been more chilling.

Perhaps most interesting about these brothers scribal craft is that they are able to inject subtle humor in their lyrics. Such a trait becomes more and more prevalent on their third CD "Well Deserved Obscurity." The current single "Change" is a prime example. A tale of empty wishing, lines such as "Went to see a shrink/Cause my life is such a mess/Thanks Mr Freud/Now I'm broke and depressed" are dark comical rhetoric at its best. Equally biting is "Sell A Lot of Beer:" With its in-built honky tonk sing-a-long chorus, this barroom burner is a light hearted satire on acts which excel in their trade without much acumen for playing the marketing game. In the spirit of such outspokenness, "Hey, Mr. President" is the duos' take on politics. With a heartfelt plea for peace, lines such as: "I ain't no Democrat/I ain't no Republican/We're fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers, wives and husbands/And we pray that we dance at our daughters weddings/And our sons grow to fine men/And for peace on our land" are sobering.

However, more times than not, the Warren Brothers are let down by their pretty average material. This is particularly true of material coming from their first two albums. "Waiting for the Light to Change," "Move On," "Where Does It Hurt" are songs dealing with love lost and found with the standard cliché and lines that made them blend like vanilla with the rest of the songs on radio. Not that they are bad, there's just nothing to set them apart as more than just radio targeted pop-country numbers. Interestingly two of their top 40 hits "Better Man" and "She Wants to Rock" are missing. So are more interesting songs, such as their most commercial yet unique "Southern Baptist Heartbreak." Also missing is "Cheap Sunglasses" their tribute cut to ZZ Top. Simply put, these tracks selected are not imaginative and some of their most substantial (and famous) tracks are not represented.

The Warren Brothers are a keening duo with aptitude for songs that truly make a niche in the country format for years to come. However, such talent is generally not captured in their songs. Let's hope that BNA or another record company will avail opportunities for these boys to show their true colors.