RCA Nashville recording artist Chuck Wicks may be a newcomer to the game, but the Delaware native possesses a voice that has a lived-in, blood, sweat, and tears authenticity beyond its years. Currently riding in the upper echelon of the country charts with his debut single, Wicks is a singer with something to say.
He may look like he belongs in Hollywood and not in Nashville, but one listen to Wicks' debut Starting Now and it quickly becomes clear the man is right where he belongs. The 11-track collection is a contemporary hotbed that reaches beyond the tired classic rock rehash that makes up a lot of today's country music. Listeners will be surprised to hear R&B and soul influences in Wicks' music.
Like a stone that has been polished to a pretty shine, Starting Now is a slickly produced platter. The disc's first single "Stealing Cinderella," a gelatinous ballad, is only the tip of the iceberg. Soccer moms love the latter, but it's songs like the easy going "When You're Single," a smooth R&B groove dipped in a sweet country sauce, and the emotional "What If You Stay," a hurting song that tickles the eyes, that give Wicks appeal beyond drive time.
One of the things that makes Starting Now a solid disc is the fact that Wicks' songs, ten of which he co-wrote, are finely crafted pieces. Even the fluffy, fun songs are sanded down and whittled to ear-pleasing perfection. "Good Time Comin' On," a hair in the wind, top rolled down, chasing love with a tank full of gas and a sleeping bag in the trunk kind of number, treads Rascal Flatts and Kenney Chesney territory. Wicks sells the number like he's Donald Trump (with better hair, of course.)
Producers Dann Huff and Monty Powell have helped Wicks create one of the strongest debuts to come out of Nashville in the last few years. Every song could be a single. From the pumping backbeat and chugging rhythm of "She's Gonna Hurt Somebody," to the fluttering acoustic tint of "Man Of The House," Wicks is on fire throughout. The latter, about a young boy who takes up the slack while his dad is away at war, will speak to the hearts of many.
Starting Now sounds like it was written and recorded by a veteran, not a newcomer. If anyone has the goods to break big in 2008, it's Chuck Wicks.
By Todd Sterling
