Release Date: 23 March 2004
Song Count: 12
Duration: 45 minutes, 56 seconds
Rating: 5.3/10
Description:
The fourth full-length release from Illinois-based musician David Lee Murphy is upon us today, and this marks our first proper deep-dive into a traditional country album, though we have reviewed American folk and even Americana music in the past on here. A record filled loads with authentic contemporary country in practically unfiltered form, Tryin' to Get There circles around the general themes of heartbreak and navigating through tough spots in one's life within the lyrics of every song, and is reflective of the most signature elements of its representing genre.
Guitars are present everywhere in this album as the tracks go through a tried-and-true ticket to success for country music, that being commonly used chord progressions and song structuring, and it is topped off by the twanged vocals present throughout. The songs rarely deviate from this style, along with the generally consistent lyrical themes, leading to a rather repetitive experience when listening to it all in one sitting and a decrease in intrigue over time. The titular track "Tryin' to Get There" around halfway through the runtime, for example, ends up standing out simply by having a different set of chords play out compared to every other song contained in the record.
While an approachable enough record to dip one's toes into country music with, Tryin' to Get There ends up not stepping anywhere beyond its quite confined comfort zone, and as a result fails to keep the listener's interest for long. David Lee Murphy appears to be a talented artist with knowledge of the fundamentals of his genre of expertise as well as musical skills to create solid country music; however, in terms of having that shine through in his works, perhaps another one of his may be a better fit than this album.