Search - Heartland :: I Loved Her First

Wedding Reception Music

Thomas C. Stoddard | Wilmington, NC United States | 01/10/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The title song of this album was recommended to me when my daughter married last month. I needed a tune for that traditional dance of the bride with her father. I bought this album for that purpose, and this song captured my emotions at the time perfectly. It was a magical moment. I heartily recomend "I Loved Her First." Not a lot of tunes out there addresses fatherly sentiments.

Oh, but be careful to understand. I recommend the SONG, not the album by Heartland of the same name. The rest of the tracks, really, did not do a whole lot for me. I found it repetitious, and quite pedestrian so far as country music goes. I am a fan of the country genre, and I don't quite know a good comparison to make to communicate where Heartland is. They are definitely less complex musically than, say, Alabama. Their lyrics are less inspired, than, say, Toby Keith. They are just out there -- nothing to really commend their music; pleasing enough, standard themes, not exceptional. Probably making a great living on the State Fair circuit."

Heartland Goes for the Heart with their Debut CD

T. Yap | Sydney, NSW, Australia | 10/20/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Prime Cuts: I Loved Her First, Built to Last, No Getting Over You



In today's country music soundscape of swinging honky tonk badonkadonk and yee haw pulp, thank God for Heartland. Instead of recording those down right silly novelty ditties, these six men band has made the bull's eye for the heart. Their lead single, "I Have Loved Her First," a gorgeous teary-eyed ballad about a father giving her daughter away in marriage draws upon the resplendent tradition of classics such as Bob Carlisle's "Butterfly Kisses." And such an effort has certainly reaped handsomely when "I Have Loved Her First," made it all way to the pinnacle of the chart, a fleet almost unheard of for an independent imprint act. Stylistically, Heartland's ross-matriculation of soft 70s rock and blue-collared country coupled with lead singer Jason Albert's country-bluesy tenor calls to mind the long gone era of Alabama, Exile and Restless Heart.



For fans who have been smitten by the title track, "Built to Last" will easily be a favorite. A tender ballad that tells of an elderly couple offering marital advice to a pair of newly weds, "Built to Last" is well serviced by Albert's ernest delivery and an unforgetable tune. Whetting the appetite of the hopeless romantic even more is the languid ¾ ballad "Judged a Man By His Woman" which puts the definitive measure of a man's worth not by the toys he has, but by the way he treats his woman. While the inspirational "Play Hurt" underscores the timeless message of not allowing our failures to stand in our way of progress.



Adding an imminent down home poignancy to Ronnie Milsap's "No Getting Over You," it's also the album's only cover. On the other hand, the newly composed "Boys Like Us," with its redolent thundering drums and spitfire fiddles calls to mind the thematically similar Sawyer Brown's "The Boys and Me." Similarly, the creatively titled "You," penned by Jason Sellers and Ray Stephenson, may not charter any new ground, but its salacious guitar riffs are of note. However, tracks such as the Skynyrd-wanna-be "Freebird in a Firebird" and the slightly lurid "Let's Get Dirty" suffer too much from an ear-popping rock overkill.



With superb production coming from Walt Alderidge, who has been known for his songwriting abilities, this CD stands toe to toe with any major label product out there. Safe to say, the ballads here are well-chosen and brilliantly performed--especially for the romantic at heart, these paeans are weaved with breathtaking magic. While many country acts today lean more towards their pop counterparts in favoring style over content, these lads from Alabama show us that songs that expound on the issues of the heart still light up radio request lines, even if it's a record on an independent label."

Surprisingly good

Booty | Texas | 01/09/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Like many people, I suspect, I bought this album for its debut single and so was pleasantly surprised to find that the whole album is enimently enjoyable. It gets off to a rollicking start and shows a lot of depth and polish throughout. It's country with roots and a little bit of an edge."