Neal McCoy - "No Doubt About It"

[StevePulaski]

No Doubt About It (1994)
By: Neal McCoy

Rating: ★★

Neal McCoy's No Doubt About It, his most commercially successful album to date, very well blends nicely with its era, 1990's country. The 1990's were a period when songwriters were being birthed left and right, from the big names like Toby Keith and Keith Urban, to the lesser known but thoroughly impressive Rhett Akins and Daryle Singletary. McCoy was an artist who endured a bit of success only to find himself constantly elbowed out of the way by bigger, more boisterous acts. He didn't really resurface into the mainstream until his single "Billy's Got His Beer Goggles On" propelled him on the charts once more in 2005; to this date, he has yet to make another splash.

No Doubt About It evidently shows why only sporadic success in the future greeted McCoy rather than reigning fame. On top of releasing in a low key fashion, without much advertising or publicity, McCoy's style is one that's generally bland and commonplace, almost exercising the stereotype for country music. While no particular song on McCoy's album is bad, desperately few break past the confines of generic. His biggest hit on the album is also his best song, which "Wink," a thoroughly solid jam about how all a man needs when he's stressed or hitting the breaking point is his woman's simple wink. "No need to psychoanalyze or have a stiff drink," McCoy sings, stating that despite its absurdity in a complicated world, "the simple little things are the miracle fuel" for people.

Songs like "I Apologize" and "Why Now" are forgettable and basic country heartbreak tracks that don't evoke feeling, but middling empathy amongst listeners, and it's sad to say that No Doubt About It is robbed of a signature style for its singer. McCoy doesn't bear the kind of gravelly voice and experimental talents of Toby Keith, the heartland, almost classic rock sound of early Keith Urban, nor the kind of cut-throat empathy his more dour songs bring, a talent Daryle Singletary exudes with nearly every release. McCoy's main talent comes in the form of cheekier tunes like "Small Up and Simple Down," which, while still being a relatively predictably written tune about how complicated the world has gotten, still benefits from McCoy's breezy singing style, and "The City Put the Country Back in Me," again concerning the same topic. McCoy's album works on occasion, but it's far too bland to recommend outside of anything other than a basic country fix, especially if you've spent too much time in the hectic city.

Recommended tracks (in order): "Wink," "Small Up and Simple Down," and "The City Put the Country Back in Me."