Customer Reviews

This I Gotta See

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Andy Griggs stays at the top of his game with THIS I GOTTA SEE, which continues his winning streak of great albums. The CD is well-produced and is very deep in superb songs and potential hit singles. His magnificent voice, as always, is up front and center, and he sings the heck out of these tunes.

Prime Cuts:

"This I Gotta See" - Romantic uptempo ballad with nice imagery

"She Thinks She Needs Me" - One of the great love songs of the new millennium, giant sound, big vocals, lots of passion

"Be Still" - Another perfect romantic ballad, this one is a quiet-but-passionate powerhouse with some very pretty and intricate vocal arrangements

"Hillbilly Band" - Very fun rocking road song, especially when Andy says, "Naw, that's the Opry son."

"I Never Had a Chance" - Intense and blues-influenced, another amazing vocal performance

"If Heaven" - Maybe the best song on the album, a poignant ballad with moving and comforting lyrics for anybody who has ever experienced the loss of a loved one. It's touching without being mushy or overly sentimental.

"Long Enough" - Pure outlaw country, stomp your boots in the sawdust, gutsy declaration of love

"Why Do I Still Want You" - Sort of a blues/bluegrass fusion, great harmonies on this slow burner

Weaker Songs:

"My Kind of Beautiful" - a little bit too "leery" for me

"Careful Where You Kiss Me" - Too much information

"No Mississippi" - Too over the top with background vocals

Still, even the "weaker songs" are all done with a lot of energy, and would be pretty darn good for a lot of artists. For me, they just weren't "Andy" I guess.

I really love this CD overall and the incredibly good songs more than make up for a couple of mis-steps. If you like great country music, or even pop, blues, or traditional rock, you will probably like this album.

Recently I saw Andy Griggs in concert in NW Florida not long after Hurricane Ivan. He was a great encouraging and healing presence for all of us who had suffered through the storm and its aftermath. He is as real and genuine a person in country music as there is today. And, man, can he sing! He sang a number of songs from THIS I GOTTA SEE, which really connected with the crowd. If you haven't heard this CD yet, all I can say is that it is filled with great music. BILLBOARD calls Andy one of the finest singers of ballads alive today, and there are some songs on this CD that back that up, such as "She Thinks She Needs Me" and "Be Still," plus the soul-stirring and beautifully moving new single "If Heaven." Yeah, Andy knows how to pick up the pace a bit, too, like on the awesome song "Hillbilly Band," which, in concert, had the crowd in Florida shouting for more. He's got that bluesy sound down good, too, with "I Never Had a Chance" and "Long Enough" and especially the rocking "No Mississippi." A lot of people know about Andy, as evidenced by his growing collection of Top 5 radio hits, but a whole lot more folks are going to know about him as the years go on...he is definitely for real and this is one of the best country CD's you can hear this year.

Andy Griggs has a deserved reputation as a great singles artist: he's given us some of the best tunes on the country charts over the past six years or so. But behind all of these great individual songs are three very strong albums, "You Won't Ever Be Lonely," "Freedom," and now "This I Gotta See"

Let it be said right up front that Andy Griggs has several things going for him:

1) Personal and artistic integrity. Andy is the real deal when it comes to being a genuine good guy who loves his fans and gives them 100%.

2) An amazingly strong voice. In fact, it's not a stretch to say he has one of the strongest voices in country music, with a lot of range and depth, and just enough rough edges to keep it real.

3) Great songwriting skills. Andy is an excellent writer, although for some reason, he only recorded two of his own songs for this CD. That's one of the only complaints I have about this project.

4) Good instincts for choosing songs. Since he didn't use much of his own material here, it's a good thing that his ear for a good song doesn't fail him, for the most part. There are some really superb tracks on this CD.

5) Men know he's a hunter, a fisherman, and a heckuva funny storyteller; and the women think he's cute. My wife made me type that last part.

One thing that strikes me after many repeated listens to his latest work is how rich it is in great songs. Let's start with the obvious ones: "She Thinks She Needs Me" is a fantastic, classic "big" country song...the kind of showstopper that a lot of singers can only dream about recording even once in their careers. This song hit the Billboard Country Singles Top 5 and was on the charts forever...I suppose that makes it a standard, in many ways, because it really had some serious airplay endurance. The fact is, I still enjoy hearing it every time I do.

"If Heaven" is one of those incredibly poignant and "close to home" songs that could make a grown man cry. A tough grown man at that. Ask me how I know. Hey, the fact is, if you can listen to this song and not really feel it down in your gut, then you are not human. The sad-yet-hopeful lyrics floor me every time, and when Andy sings it, you can tell he's feeling it. This was yet another Top 5 Country music single in Billboard.

It looks like the well-produced, mid-tempo title track is going to be a hit, too. I'm hearing it on the radio more often now. It's a keeper, with instantly relatable lyrics and an impassioned vocal from Andy. He makes you believe that he really is in a hurry to get home. And, another track that has excellent airplay potential is "Be Still," which is a beautiful, superbly arranged ballad.

The only uptempo "loose" song on the album is "Hillbilly Band," which is a lot of fun and helps vary the pace. I would like to hear Andy do more of these kind of songs, even though I recognize that he is a master of the ballads. "Long Enough" suits Andy to a "T" as well. It reminds me of something Waylon Jennings would have done, as does "Why Do I Still Want You," a nice country-blues gem. Another radio-friendly cut, "I Never Had a Chance," seems tailor-made for Andy's gritty and altogether believable plea. "No Mississippi" is a wailing, rocking blues number.

When my children are in the car, we tend to skip "My Kind of Beautiful" and "Careful Where You Kiss Me" which are uncharacteristically steamy, compared to most of Griggs' other work. Both are credible country songs, well performed, although not exceptionally memorable (beyond their PG-ish steamy themes). Still, that's a minor complaint given all of the great attributes the album has.

This CD has been on the charts for more than a year, and with all of these great songs, it's easy to see why. If you haven't heard it yet, give it a spin. You won't be sorry.

I have been a fan of Andy Griggs since right before his debut album even came out. He came out to the local Wherehouse the day that his CD came out, and played acoustic for a crowd of about 50, maybe. I even got a few pictures with him! At the time, I had the CD single of "You Won't Ever Be Lonely", which in my opinion, is one of the greatest songs ever made and sung. The video was even incredible. Once I bought the full CD, I was hooked. His voice, the lyrics, the sounds.. Absolutely beautiful.

His sophomore album I never bought because it never really got the publicity, and I didn't even know about it until recently! The one song I heard on the radio, was okay.

So that all lead me up to last week when I saw his CD at Target. It brought back memories of how much I loved his first CD, so I bought it without hearing any of the songs on it. It truly is a great CD, but something doesn't sound like the Andy Griggs from his debut album. His voice is just as wonderful, but the songs lack in depth. "She Thinks She Needs Me" is definitely a trademark Andy song, and I wish he'd do more of those.
Overall, it's a great CD if you're an Andy Griggs fan.

I just recently purchased this album and can't stop listening to it. I am honestly not a fan of sappy ballads, so hearing his single "She Thinks She Needs Me" is not what convinced me to get this album. I saw a brief interview with him on CMT Insider and was intrigued, which led me to look up a little more information on him and listen to samples of this album. I was sold after the first song "This I Gotta See" but the deal was cemented when I heard "Careful Where You Kiss Me." Don't miss out on this fantastic ear candy!

"This I Gotta See" is Andy Grigg's third record. Many of the songs have a "radio-friendly" production to them; however, Griggs's voice transcends even the lamest lyrics. With his growled baritone, it's quite possible that he has one of the best male vocals on contemporary radio.

There are no duds on this album, though some tunes are obviously better than others. "If Heaven" is a beautiful, poignant ballad. "No Mississippi," featuring Bekka Bramlet and Delbert McClinton on harmonies, is a bit over-produced, but it still feisty and original. The ballads "Why Do I Still Want You," "Be Still," and the top-ten smash "She Thinks She Needs Me" are powerfully delivered, while "Hillbilly Band" is a rockin' little song about an entertainer (Griggs?) brought up through hillbilly music.

Andy Griggs is one of the most overlooked singer/songwriters today. "This I Gotta See" just might be able to pull off what his previous two efforts could not--bringing Griggs the star status that he deserves.

Andy Griggs has one of the finest voices in country music. He's the real deal, as if Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Travis Tritt, Hank Williams, Sr., and Raoul Malo's voices had all been melted down together and forged into one. I've heard the dude in concert and he can flat out wail. This CD captures the power of his voice with some fine instrumentation and playing from his band and a good collection of memorable songs. Most of these could be mega radio hits, like his first single from the CD, "She Thinks She Needs Me," which is an incredible power country ballad. The title song is really cool, and songs like "I Never Had a Chance," "Long Enough," and "Why Do I Still Want You" are absolute classic country. "Hillbilly Band" is a really fun, upbeat, fast-paced, sing-along tune with a little bit of humor thrown in. Someone already mentioned that "Be Still" sounds a little bit like the Eagles, and that's about right. It's got a great feel to it, sort of like "Best of My Love" and the vocal arrangements are stellar. My favorite song here is "If Heaven," which is not only beautiful, but it's very, very moving and powerful. It reminds me a lot of our troops overseas right now. Is this Andy's best CD? Hard to say...all three of them are pretty great. I will say that for right now, this one is my favorite. Get it, turn it on, roll down the car windows, and shout it out loud.

My band was lucky enough to open for Andy Griggs and Daryle Singletary a few months ago. The two of them played an acoustic show together that was one of the most memorable I have seen, ever. Even though I'm a country fan, I had never heard of Andy Griggs by name...but new some of his songs. His hits seem to fall into that time period when I stopped listening to county, but came back to it after a decade off. After watching them perform...I'm now a huge fan. Sometimes the magic of his voice and melody doesn't come accross as powerful as it is live. If they had recorded that performance....i would pay $30 for it. If you have a chance to see him live...be sure you do it. I promise you won't regret it.
Andy, if you're listening...do that show again, record it...capture that magic, and I bet you'll get a whole new fan base.

Andy Griggs continues his winning streak with his third studio release, THIS I GOTTA SEE. Superbly produced by Randy Scruggs, the instrumentation really gives Andy room to roam vocally; and Andy sounds better than ever. Blessed with some of the best pipes in Country Music, Andy has the range and strength to turn every song into an event--but, he also knows when to bridle it and bring it home sweet and low. The winning title track gets the proceedings off to a great start...nice, evocative, romantic lyrics coupled with a great melody, fresh musicianship, and topnotch delivery from Andy. With "She Thinks She Needs Me," Andy continues to prove that he is the master of the tender punch line; here is a song that one never tires of hearing, and it has the long running "legs" on the country music charts to prove it. One hesitates to bandy about the term "classic" too often, but "She Thinks She Needs Me" fits the bill...perfectly. "Be Still" is one of Andy's most effective ballads; imagine a combination of the Eagles' "Best of My Love" with Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight," and you'll get at least an idea of the mood here...but, by all means, hear it for yourself. "I Never Had A Chance" simmers and sizzles; filled with love, longing, hurt, and healing, it's an excellent vehicle for Andy's bluesy vocal prowess, and he delivers. "Hillbilly Band" is a joyful romp that hits on all 8 cylinders...it's one of only two songs that Andy wrote for this CD, and it resonates with a refreshing warmth and reality. "Why Do I Still Want You?" is old-school country, with great harmonies...there's a little touch of Appalachia going on here...and Andy wrings a lot of heartfelt emotion out of the words. With it's footstomping, propulsive, chugging rhythm, "Long Enough" would have been one heckuva Waylon Jennings song; as it stands, it's classic Griggs. It sounds repetitive to say that Andy is in fine form vocally again here, but, dadgummit, he definitely swats this one out of the old ballpark. And then...then comes a moment; a gem among gems. I challenge you: when you give "If Heaven" a spin, see if the whole world around you doesn't stand still and listen. Few songs have ever grabbed my heart like this song. And it's hard to believe, given the deeply personal nature of the lyrics, that Andy didn't actually write this one; it was composed instead by Gretchen Peters. Personally, I'll be looking for Gretchen Peters and Andy Griggs to be making some visits to the podium whenever the time rolls around for the Country Music Association Awards. By the way, musically, the song is absolutely gorgeous. Of course, Andy is not one to let things stay too quiet too long, and so he comes out swinging on the final cut, the defiant "No Mississippi," with Bekka Bramlett and Delbert McClinton. Like all great artists, he takes pain and weaves it into something triumphant. My primary unfulfilled wish with regard to this CD is that Andy didn't write more; he is as superb a songwriter as he is a vocalist and an entertainer. I know he's got some great new songs up his sleeve; he played two of them in Mobile late last year. But...that just gives Andy's fans something to look forward to in the future. In the meantime, we can be thrilled with THIS I GOTTA SEE, and hopefully, it will burn up the charts for many, many months to come.

Andy Griggs new album is the best one yet.
Everyones heard She thinks she needs me...wait till you hear the rest...If Heaven will hit #1 count on it.
It dont get no better son.
later,