DON McLEAN
AMERICAN BOYS
BMG/THE ORCHARD
Imagine that you’re a veteran singer-songwriter in your late 70s. You have had a storied career, and you wrote one of the most iconic pop songs of the 20th century. What kind of recording do you make in 2024? The short answer is: whatever you want!
This is essentially what Don McLean has done, with the release of his latest album, American Boys, which was produced in Nashville by Michael Severs. Containing 13 songs, the album is almost as varied as it is long. While it does not adhere to genre description, it is essentially a retro rock RnB country project. Or is it? There are plenty of musical nods to works of the past, but McLean also takes some interesting detours.
The lead off track is the title song, “American Boys”: a Jerry Lee Lewis-style boogie that celebrates the men who created rock ‘n’ roll. It is pleasant and retro-sounding, with a hint of modern arrangement. Text-wise, it reads like ‘American Pie Lite’. Instead of metaphors and imagery though, McLean delivers simple rhymes and nostalgic name dropping.
In many ways, the album plays like modern country music. The songs are pleasant, and the themes are familiar, but we feel like we’ve heard this before. Songs like the mid-tempo rocker “Thunderstorm Girl”, or the bluesy “Stone Cold Gangster” and “Truth and Pain” have their merits. They are performed and recorded well, but McLean seems to be playing it safe with the content. One should not go looking for McLean’s poetry and poignant observations of albums past. It is largely absent here.
Still, there are some outstanding tracks on American Boys, including the album’s latest single, “The Gypsy Road”, and the reggae and gospel-tinged “I Shall Find My Way”. With its memorable chorus and strong message, the latter song is classic McLean.
There are a few other songs here that deserve mentioning. “Vacant Luxury” is an oddly sad and sometimes hilarious beat poetry piece. This song ponders the idea of personal freedom and love, set against the global pandemic, all in Seussian rhyme. Another song, “The Ballad Of George Floyd” is a straight-up recounting of Floyd’s death at the hands of police, which sees the singer strangely identifying with the deceased. While it is melodically strong, the fact that McLean does not take a lyrically stronger social stand on this issue seems like a missed opportunity. Late in the album, the lounge ballad “The Meanest Girl” is a diss track that could teach Drake and Kendrick a thing or two. McLean presents his vitriolic comments to a past love in a tongue-in-cheek way, but it is simply a mean-spirited song about a mean person, leaving the listener sad and empty.
Kudos to Don McLean for still creating works of original music, but is American Boys essential listening? Perhaps, and perhaps not. Long-time fans will want to know what Don McLean has been up to. Still, despite some high points, this album is a trifle uneven. Listen and decide.
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