If you know me, the only genre of music that I have never been able to get into is Country. I have tried to like it in the past, but it has just never been for me. Beyond Taylor Swift and some of the Bro-Country that was big when I was in high school, I do not know much about Country. My Country knowledge of today stops at Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album. BeyoncĂ© was phenomenal in her own right on Cowboy Carter, but there was another artist who shined multiple times on the album. That artist is Shaboozey. I had never heard of Shaboozey before Cowboy Carter, but his performances definitely intrigued me. Shortly after his contributions to Beyoncé’s new record, Shaboozey took the world by storm with his viral single ‘A Bar Song(Tipsy).’ This extremely catchy track has become a smash hit, putting so many more eyes on him. Shaboozey has actually been making music for a while. His first single was released all the way back in 2014, and he has released two studio albums to this point, 2018’s Lady Wrangler and 2022’s Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die. Shaboozey has never had the kind of success he is having now, though; it is really cool to see an artist who has been working hard for so long explode like this. Shaboozey just released his third album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going; he is trying to capitalize on the hype surrounding him and catapult his career. With that being said, here is how I feel about Shaboozey’s Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from this new Shaboozey record, and also comment on how you feel about it as a whole.
‘Horse’s & Hellcats’ gets the album going on a familiar note. Frankly, this song reminds me a ton of Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road.’ The melody for this track certainly is not far off from ‘Old Town Road.’ It has a slightly heavier and more melancholy feeling, but there’s no doubt it is similar. With that being said, ‘Horse’s & Hellcats’ is enjoyable for what it is. Shaboozey’s husky vocals and Rap-esque flow do give the song a banger element, and it is sure to get any function jumping that it plays in. On ‘Horse’s & Hellcats,’ Shaboozey is singing about how he is a true modern cowboy. He would literally ride around on his horse rather than drive a luxury car. The aforementioned ‘A Bar Song(Tipsy)’ comes next. It is very easy to see why this track became so popular, as it is an interesting take on A Hip Hop classic. ‘A Bar Song(Tipsy)’ is a twanging Country interpolation of the song ‘Tipsy’ by J-Kwon. It is pretty cool and clever how he takes elements of the original track(apart from the lyrical similarity, of course). The cadence in which Shaboozey sings the hook on this track has a similar flow to the original, which makes the song so fun. ‘A Bar Song(Tipsy)’ has a foot-stomping sound that will get people dancing and a nice vocal performance that can get people singing along. As you would probably imagine, ‘A Bar Song(Tipsy)’ is about getting drunk at the bar and trying to drown out your problems. ‘Last Of My Kind,’ which features Paul Cauthen, has a much tougher and grittier feeling than the last two tracks. This song almost has a Rock element to it; this is not only evident in the power of the guitar riff but also in the drum pattern. Shaboozey and Paul Cauthen certainly try to match the mightiness of the instrumental with their vocal performances on ‘Last Of Our Kind.’ I could imagine this song being a pretty cool one to be sung live because of the strength of the vocals and instrumental. On ‘Last Of Our Kind,’ Shaboozey and Paul Cauthen how much of an individual they are compared to most people today. Shaboozey totally switches up his sound once again on ‘Anabelle.’ This song has a lot more of a Poppy feeling than the first three tracks. It honestly feels pretty similar to some of the music on the Post Malone album last year. The tone of the melody for ‘Anabelle’ is pretty gloomy, but the spunky beat could make people want to dance. Shaboozey’s vocal performance on ‘Anabelle’ is alright, but it does not do much to really improve this one for me. On ‘Anabelle,’ Shaboozey is singing about finally cutting someone off who broke his heart.
‘East Of The Massanutten’ is another song with a completely different sound than anything before it. This is the most low-key song of the album so far by a lot. The instrumental for this one is dark and impactful, but deliberate and not nearly as energetic as the first four songs. This change of pace is a nice little buffer for the record. Whereas I was not as much into the vocals on ‘Anabelle,’ I think Shaboozey kills it on ‘East Of The Massanutten.’ Shaboozey’s range and emphasis in his vocals make this song hit hard. On ‘East Of The Massanutten,’ Shaboozey is singing about moving out of town because there is nothing left for him in the place he is from. ‘Highway’ is the first song with a sound that is similar to something that precedes it. In my opinion, it sounds a bit too much like a song before it, though. ‘Highway’ sounds a significant amount like ‘A Bar Song(Tipsy)’ to me. A bit too, much, perhaps. This one is not nearly as catchy as ‘A Bar Song(Tipsy),’ unfortunately. It is like a more bland version. Shaboozey’s vocals on this track are fine, but it is probably his least exciting performance of the record so far. On ‘Highway,’ Shaboozey is singing about trying to make it work with a partner who has been let down multiple times. ‘Let It Burn’ is the second track that leans into the Post-Malone-ish Pop-Country sound. This song also has a bit of a Folk Rock element that distinguishes it, however. This song is aptly named, as the melody for ‘Let It Burn’ is so warm. This is probably the brightest song of the album so far. Shaboozey’s vocals on ‘Let It Burn’ are great in many facets. The chanting that comes in on the chorus of this track kind of has a Mumford and Sons feeling to it, which I can appreciate. On ‘Let It Burn,’ Shaboozey is singing about advising someone who is going through a heartbreak and having a hard time letting go of their anguish. ‘My Fault,’ which features Noah Cyrus, is a track that brings things to a halt. This is the softest song of the album. For the first half of the track, the instrumental consists of a sad guitar and fiddle riff; towards the middle, a faint beat comes in to give the song a bit more emphasis. I could completely see ‘My Fault’ becoming a hit. Everything about this song is so nice. Shaboozey and Noah Cyrus’ voices sound great together. The dainty tone that Noah sings with contrasts the deep vocals from Shaboozey in a super pleasant way. On ‘My Fault,’ Shaboozey and Noah Cyrus sing back and forth to each other, with Shaboozey singing about diving into drugs and alcohol and Noah singing about not wanting to give Shaboozey’s character another chance. The songwriting in ‘My Fault’ is very cool and covers a relatable topic for so many people.
‘Vegas’ brings back the Folk sound we got a little earlier in the album. This song is slower and softer than ‘Let It Burn,’ distinguishing it a bit. Shaboozey obviously excels at the Folk sound, and I think this is one of the better songs of the instrumental. This is mainly because of his vocal performance. This instrumental on this song is okay to me, but Shaboozey’s vocals are full and dynamic which makes this song pop. On ‘Vegas,’ Shaboozey is singing about how he has always lived on the edge and that everything in his life feels like a gamble. ‘Drink Don’t Need No Mix,’ which features BigXthaPlug, brings back the Trap sound we got with the very first track of the album. After how different the rest of the album has been after that opener, this one feels out of place. That said, ‘Drink Don’t Need No Mix’ has smash-hit potential. The melody is simple and catchy and the beat hits hard, making this a good song to party to. The vocals from Shaboozey and BigXthaPlug are very entertaining on this one. I like the way the harsh rap flow that BigX raps with contrasts the smoother tone and flow of Shaboozey, as it creates an interesting texture and gives the track life. On ‘Drink Don’t Need No Mix,’ Shaboozey and BigXThaPlug are talking about drinking the night away and not needing a mixer to do so. ‘Steal Her From Me’ brings back the tough and deliberate Country sound we got on the song ‘East of the Massanutten.’ The instrumental for this one is foreboding and melancholy, pretty calm and stripped back. The tone of the melody and the mix of the drums give the song a bit of a grating quality, which makes it feel massive. Shaboozey’s husky vocals sound nice on ‘Steal Her From Me.’ The deep and throaty tone he sings with gives the song so much power. In ‘Steal Her From Me,’ Shaboozey sings about stealing a girl from another man and worrying that she is going to get up and leave him for someone else soon. Shaboozey closes out the album on a light and joyous note with the song ‘Finally Over.’ This is the most retro-sounding song on the record. ‘Finally Over’ has a down-home Country feeling that makes me think of the 1960s. When I hear this one, I think of artists like Dolly Parton or Conway Twitty. This song has a sweet tone and a fast beat that will make anyone into classic Country music want to dance when they hear it. As someone who does not know a ton of this kind of Country music, I will say it is tough to not want to get up and move when this one plays. Shaboozey’s vocals on this one are not exceptional, but they do help the song push along nicely and contribute to its catchiness. On ‘Finally Over,’ Shaboozey is singing about being okay with the end of something important, whether that is a relationship, a place, or a general situation. ‘Finally Over’ has a climatic feeling to it that closes this album out on a well-rounded note.
As I mentioned in the introduction, Shaboozey had a big opportunity to push his career to the next level with Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going. I do not know if he achieved this. On the one hand, there is a good amount to love here and Shaboozey does show how much potential he has. The high points in Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going are really high; there are songs with the potential to be massive hits for sure. Shaboozey certainly shows off his range on this album, as throughout the album I never knew what was going to come next. I do feel like this holds the record back a bit, however, as it feels super scattered and out of place at times. I appreciate it when someone thinks outside the box and tries a variety of sounds, but more fluidity in this record would have made it a more clean listen for me. Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going does prove that Shaboozey is not a flash in the pan and that he is a multi-faceted artist who can make music for a wide variety of Country fans, and he certainly does deserve credit for that, for what it’s worth.
EAST SIDE VIBES 