Customer Reviews

What If

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The new Emerson Drive CD, What If, is awesome. It has a new-age country sound to it. Plus, their fiddle player is kick butt and you can hear it in the music. The album also has a mixture of new and old songs with the bands unique sound intermingled into it all. For example, my personal favorite on the album is an oldie, "Fishin' in the Dark." It has now been revised by Emerson Drive. Just goes to show you how exclusive this band is with how they remade the song. It has the same lyrics, but with, in my opinion, a new-age twist of drums, fiddle and it's more upbeat than the original.
Even though there's that old song on there, the guys can still kick it and write new ones of their own. I love their first track, "Last One Standing"; it's flamboyant and a great way to start off the CD.
Major props to the new Emerson Drive CD, I would definitely recommend it that is if you like country music.

Emerson Drive is one of the most dynamic groups out there today. Their vocals, instrumentation, and presentation all blend together very nicely and create a great sound that anyone can listen to. Every song on the album is either a 4 or 5 star song, and if Emerson Drive released every song, every one would hit number one. Pick up this CD today! You won't regret it.

This Emerson Drive CD is by far the best CD that I have heard in a long time. All of the songs on it brings a smile to my face and I believe that everyone can relate to them in one way or another. It doesn't matter what kind of music you listen to or not because I have gotten a lot of punk rockers to listen to this CD and turn into Emerson Drive Fans. So if you are wanting a CD that makes you feel good and can listen to over and over again without getting bored with it, this is definately a CD for you! It is a MUST HAVE!!!

This CD is by far the best they have put out yet. The harmonies are wonderful and production by Richard Marx just makes it that much better. The songs picked showcase Brad Mates' voice beautifully. Such a variety of tempos and tones put in a sequence that takes the listener through a whirlwind of emotion and memory. Any music fan would be well advised to add this one to their collection.

These guys are great. They opened for Shania this past weekend and that was the first time I've heard them. I went out and bought the CD immediately after the show and it's been spinning ever since. There are not too many CD's out there that I can say I love every track, but this is one of them. 'Still Got Yesterday' has to be my favorite. If you love music, this CD has something for everyone!!

I just love the new Emerson Dirve CD. It reminds me of the old Garth Brooks country. If you're really into that kind of country then this is a must have for you, even if you like the new country you will still love this CD. So either way you can't go wrong.

I enjoyed the singles from Emerson Drive's first CD, but it wasn't until I saw them performing live as the opening act for Shania Twain that I decided I would buy this CD when it came out. Well I received it yesterday and I have to say that there is not a single song on this CD that I would skip. This CD is just so well put together. I highly recommend this CD.

I've read on Emerson Drive's website that their goal has always been to try and capture the feel of their live performances on their albums. I saw Emerson Drive perform on May 10 when they opened for Shania Twain and was absolutely blown away by their energy and talent; now that I've heard the entire What If? album, I can say that they've accomplished their goal. The songs on this album that were performed at that show sound almost as good in the recording as they did live in the arena. This band is made up of incredible musicians and Brad Mates has a deep, rich voice that really makes them stand out. Their harmonies are tight and smooth and the music itself is very well put together but never sounds overproduced. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the entire album was produced (and many songs were written) by Richard Marx. He does a great job with a Canadian country band.

Some of the really standout tracks:

Last Man Standing - the first single, starts off the album very upbeat and sets the tone for the majority of the record

Lemonade - beautifully written song looking back on happy memories of love

What If? - the title track, and the only song that's not about relationships but about living for the moment and seizing the day. It's a bit slower than the majority of tracks but has a good message and is well done.

I'll Die Trying - this is one of my favourites, it's one of two ballad-y songs and if it were released as a single, I could see it doing very well. It's a love song but not cliched or cheesy.

Fishin' In the Dark - a cover of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's song, but doesn't really resemble the original. The guys have put a very different, unique spin on this song with a driving beat that sounds a bit like the beat to Queen's We Will Rock You. This is my overall favourite track, it's meant to be played loud and sang along to, really rocks.

Running Back to You - the only relationship song on the song album that could be called a bitter break-up song, starts out slow but picks up in the chorus. Has a distinct sound that I thought was cool

Simple Miracles - the other ballad on this song, it's mainly Brad and a piano, beautifully done

This album has 14 tracks on it (the last one being a bonus) and unlike most albums these days with that many songs on it, I wouldn't say that there are any throwaway tracks. All of them fit together and make the album complete. My only criticism is that all but one of the songs focus on some aspect of relationships and while that's not a bad thing, there are a lot more themes they could touch on.

The cd is enhanced with some behind the scenes featurettes (making of Last Man Standing video, discussion of putting the album together and being on the road, and a "comedy hour"). The features are all a bit too short but it is only a cd, so that's to be expected.

Overall, this is a great record and Emerson Drive should be proud of a job well done. These guys may be country, but they know how to rock and it's written all over this album.

This is a super CD!! Anyone who doesn't care for country music will also like this. They have their own style. My husband does not care for country music but really likes their music. We saw them in concert at a fair and they are wonderful. We even got to meet them when they were taking photos after the concert. They did not mind taking the time to talk to us. You do not see that often.

I saw Emerson Drive for the first time in Edmonton at the Shania Twain concert, and like the review below i went out and bought the CD the very next day. This truly has to be one of the most talented and gifted groups out there today, every song is amazing and i recommend it to ANYONE!!!