Chief (2011) This midlevel country dude, one of Nashville's most detail-oriented songwriters, peppers his third album, Chief , with so many proper nouns — Waylon and Springsteen,… Eric Church Country EMI Records Nashville
Music Review

Chief (2011)

Eric Church
Reviewed by Mikael Wood | Jul 20, 2011
Eric Church | HAIL TO THE CHIEF Church instills a heavy helping of hero worship into his latest album
Image credit: John Peets
HAIL TO THE CHIEF Church instills a heavy helping of hero worship into his latest album
EW's GRADE
B

Details Release Date: Jul 26, 2011; Lead Performance: Eric Church; Genre: Country; Production: EMI Records Nashville

This midlevel country dude, one of Nashville's most detail-oriented songwriters, peppers his third album, Chief, with so many proper nouns — Waylon and Springsteen, Jack Daniel's and Jesus — that it's sometimes hard to hear 
Eric Church through all the neo-outlaw hero worship. Yet when he clears out some room for himself, as on the beautifully bleary ''Hungover & Hard Up,'' the honesty of his confessions can sear: ''The hurt keeps 
calling me,'' he sings over warm Muscle Shoals-style guitar. ''Come on out — we got you surrounded.'' B

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Originally posted Jul 20, 2011 Published in issue #1165 Jul 29, 2011 Order article reprints