Monument Records / RCA Records
Release Date: September 29th 2023
Reviewed by: Joshua Andre
Walker Hayes– New Money (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
Track Listing:
- New Money
- Good With Me
- Accidentally Called Her You
- Fine As Hell
- Stetson
- 9
- Show Me The Country
- Taylor Swift
Walker Hayes is one of the most polarising artists in country music. I reviewed his new album Country Stuff The Album right here last year; and in that review, I essentially outlined (and I quote verbatim!) that Walker Hayes’ latest album Country Stuff The Album, with an on-the-surface similar vibe and atmosphere to Life Rolls On, was an album that I didn’t have high hopes for. I was intrigued- simply because the genre was country, and generally I’ve never been steered that wrong by the genre before; however, I was still apprehensive. Sadly though, on the whole, after a few listens to this poppy and honest album over the past few weeks or so; I can conclude that we are presented with an album that I pretty much expected. A ‘cool’ and ‘hip’ mash up of country and pop, that country purists would immediately balk at; Country Stuff The Album tires to be modern and includes a number of guest vocals. Yet Walker’s new album doesn’t reinvent the wheel of country music. Yet it’s not that much better than anything from Florida Georgia Line. And that’s definitely not a good thing. You can read more about the review if you want to… but I didn’t paint a pretty picture of the album. Save for a few tracks, Country Stuff The Album was musically and lyrically all over the place. I’ve listened to this album many times over since my review- and the sentiment has unfortunately stayed the same. The title track was actually one of the high points of the album… and that’s saying something.
Over the past few years, I’ve become a country music fan. I didn’t think it would happen, considering that I do not live in America, and I’m also not accustomed to the country small town culture; but artists like Maddie & Tae, Carrie Underwood, Lady A, Rascal Flatts, Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Chris Stapleton, Mickey Guyton, Tenille Townes, Tenille Arts, Ingrid Andress, Thomas Rhett, Kelsea Ballerini, Lindsey Ell, Little Big Town, Sugarland, Hunter Hayes, Kylie Morgan, and newcomers Alana Springsteen, Emily Ann Roberts and Ashley Cooke (and the OG country artist Taylor Swift of course; but also many others whom I haven’t mentioned here!) have all impacted greatly upon myself; as each of these artists and more have created moments of poignancy, epic awesomeness and magic. There’s something special about a country artist; and despite my not-so-enjoyable experience with Walker Hayes’ album; country reviewer and youtuber Grady Smith reminded me in his deep analysis on Walker in a 20-minute video, that he is trying and he is vulnerable and authentic in some of his other songs pre-Country Stuff. And so, I decided to try again and give Walker another chance. I reviewed “Y’all Life” last year as well- it is a pop/country track that Walker unveiled without much buzz or fanfare, and sad to say… this makes Country Stuff and all of the tracks on it seem like the ‘best tracks ever’, and that’s not a good thing. Fortunately, though, Walker greatly improved upon the melody with a re-recording of the song- this time with pop/R&B artist Ciara– yet it’s still not a ‘country’ song!
Walker’s heart is definitely the right place though. In the music video for “Y’all Life”, Walker is dancing and doing these jazzy and poppy Tik Tok moves that garnered him fame from the Fancy Like music video and the Tik Tok viral dance video as well. But “Y’all Life” is not a country song at all (it’s a pop song!), and lyrically, the song is a bit of a mish mash. Walker seemed to throw a bunch of rhyming lyrics together that have nothing to do with each other, and though the song is extremely catchy (and when I’m not listening to the lyrics, I’m dancing and tapping my toes); the lyrics don’t make sense, and Walker is generically speaking about country life in a small town. If all I’m doing is listening to and jamming out to the music… is this song even worth a spin? And so… with that ‘re-hash’ of what I said in my review of Walker’s poppy track… I also reviewed Walker’s new melody “That Dog’ll Hunt”. It’s a song inspired by the saying in the south where Walker is from, and also about a dog he owned. The song was released on International Dog Day; but unfortunately, this song is even more grating and irritating than “Y’all Life”. With “Y’all Life” at least having a bit of a storyline about Walker speaking about country life in a small town, “That Dog’ll Hunt” is more of a generic, broad, and nondescript pop song that doesn’t even feel like ‘country’!
Fast forward to November 2022, and Walker dropped another new song in “Face In The Crowd”. The song is interesting, given that it’s better than the previous two singles. Musically, it’s still not that ‘country’. But boy are these lyrics touching, hopeful, inspiring, and meaningful. An acoustic ballad, Walker delivers a vulnerable melody about his love for his wife and about how ‘…when my fifteen minutes ends and the world loves me a little less, I hope you know that you’re the only one I was trying to impress, if I sold out Bryant-Denny, make my sweet home so proud, all I ever cared about, all I ever cared about was your face in the crowd…’. A track that lets us know that we all should stay grounded and to realise the importance of people and relationships in our lives, “Face In The Crowd” allows us to dwell upon that certain someone in our lives (be it partner or friend or family member) so that we can be thankful and grateful for the life we’re living and realise that it’s all about people rather than money, fame, status, fortune and material possessions.
And this brings us to the latest EP called New Money. The start of a ‘real’ country music career, or more of the same? The vibrant and personal and emotional title track sure seems to allude to a brand new start- the track delves deep into Walker’s past in music and the fact that he grinded and toiled for many years even before he made it big. Sometimes people think that things are just handed to them; but Walker in this song outlines that sometimes when you don’t have ‘new money’ or money directly from your parents, it makes you work for things more and much more satisfied when you succeed in that way of finally making your way on your own. Sadly, the nonsensical and ridiculous single “Good With Me” is next where Walker is reduced to… what he’s famous for, and maybe with Walker that’s what you get- flashes of brilliance, but something similar to Florida Georgia Line, a singer that isn’t bad, but just isn’t good either.
“Accidentally Called Her You” is a melody about Walker (or the persona in this song!) messing up his relationships simply because he can’t get over an ex; while “Fine As Hell” is basically Walker just having a whinge about how everything has changed since when he grew up, and about how the world is different, and how it was better back then and much more simpler. He concludes that the only thing that is constant and is just as good in his life right now as it was back then, is his relationship with his wife; and while these two songs are ok, they’re just simply ok and are not groundbreaking. Case in point is “Stetson”, which may work for this generation… but it doesn’t work for me. The song speaks about nothing really (or it could be about Walker longing for a physical relationship with a one-night stand), and this type of ‘country’ doesn’t really do it for me. “9” confirms this point to, with this pointless song about rating women, and pointing out that his wife (or another woman!) is too distracting for him and she should be less beautiful so that he can go about his day with better productivity- this song demeans women in general and quite frankly shouldn’t be on the album at all. “Show Me The Country” is also another track that could be debasing and humiliating towards women (because is this song a machoistic song about wanting to dominate your partner in bed?); while the personal and moving “Taylor Swift” speaks about Walker acquiring Taylor Swift tickets for The Eras Tour for his daughter’s birthday; and then realising that though it cost a fortune, it was priceless to his daughter, and that those types of little things in life are worth the money because we do only have one go at life, and you want to keep those little moments sacred.
I mentioned earlier in my review of Country Stuff, that by spreading himself too thin and not making this album focused enough musically and lyrically; that Walker Hayes has delivered a project that is simply a catastrophe and overall forgettable. I also reiterated that if any of you were wanting a country album with substance, then I would say check out Tenille Arts’ Girl To Girl or Lady A’s What A Song Can Do. That being said though, if you really love Walker Hayes and everything that he does… then perhaps Walker’s debut album is for you. I will definitely not begrudge you at all. After all, you may be really into the TikTok thing and the cringey dance moves. Regardless, Walker is an interesting case, because this project New Money (essentially an EP), is exactly the same. But his next full length album could be brilliant- he certainly has the song-writing ability to create a great album. So… will it be the next album that brings him to that whole other level of greatness? I certainly hope so. Judging from “Y’all Life” and “That Dog’ll Hunt” and the bulk of New Money though… well, please steer clear from most of these songs if you will. I beseech you, and I implore you. “Face In The Crowd” though, is a better reflection of Walker’s heart and the execution of this song is pretty good as well. Same with “Taylor Swift” and “New Money”. And so… shall we keep our fingers crossed now and hope that the new and upcoming country albums this year from Alexandra Kay, Old Dominion, Chris Stapleton, Restless Road, Kylie Morgan, Maggie Baugh, and Sophia Scott are all winners and near-flawless projects?
3 songs to listen to: New Money, Fine As Hell, Taylor Swift
Score: 2.5/5
RIYL: Kane Brown, Hunter Hayes, Thomas Rhett, Mickey Guyton, Gabby Barrett, Kelsea Ballerini