Rating: ***1/2
Southern Carolina singer-songwriter Chris Sullivan is a bit of a chameleon. He kind of twists through the windy highway of southern rock while making rest stops at straight ahead alternative rock along the way. When I saw that his new single entitled "The City That Never Sleeps" was in my inbox for review, I have to admit I was pretty excited to check it out. So let's do that right now.
The intro rocks in a pretty familiar way. It sounds a bit like a Gin Blossoms song at first listen. The verse kicks in and it's reminiscent of JD Fortune-era INXS. That's not a bad thing per se, it's just an observation. The tune moves along at really well right through the chorus (complete with a fun little female-sung back-up vocal). It doesn't slow down at all until the bridge changes tempo briefly. It's a welcome time-change and leads us to the final chorus and outro. That was fun!
Chris Sullivan's new EP comes out in December and if this track is any indication, it's gonna be a lot of fun. If you dig your southern rock with a heaping dose of "Green"-era R.E.M., this latest single from Chris Sullivan will be just what the doctor ordered.