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Here’s a terrible idea: take all the played-out guitar riffs, timing, melodies, drum hits, and cliché lyrics of the past 20 years of soft rock and make a new album with them.
Sadly, this is what Megan Burtt’s It Ain’t Love feels like. The album is technically solid. Burtt’s vocals are precise and her band hits all the right keys. But why should we care? The resulting music is incredibly predictable. When it has every opportunity to deviate from the cliché, it stays boringly within a formulaic system. More original artists such as Melissa Etheridge and Shawn Colvin paved the way for Burtt, but the first rule in copying is that you have to improve upon it and/or make it your own.
The title track, as common as it is with its standard bluesy reverb guitar and echoing drum riffs, is at least catchy, and will no doubt be heard in the next obnoxious romantic comedy. Burtt sings about love gone awry, but lacks sincerity because the music is just too mathematical. She sings so closely in line with the band that her voice feels restrained and mechanical, allowing no room for emotion.
The crew behind this album doesn’t seem willing to take the risks that would yield something exciting. Instead they seem content to churn out an album built on a tried-and-true formula. Look for this music in an elevator near you.
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