Maddox Batson, a country music writer, has recently came out with a new album “First Dance (The After Party).” This album has a total of 7 songs currently and soon will have 10 songs. The hits of the album so far have been “I Don’t Like You Anymore,” “Problem” and “Southbound.”

“I Don’t Like You Anymore” gives me whiplash with the lyrics. The lyrics go back and forth about being in love with someone and then telling her that he doesn’t like her anymore as the main lyrics. The song overall isn’t my favorite on this album compared to the other choices. The music is two different guitars, vocals and very slow paced drums. The drums are very underwhelming and I wish it would have had more to do with the song. I find the vocals to be bland until the end where there are some echoes.

I definitely like “Problem” better because I can understand it better with the lyrics. The lyrics are telling the story of a relationship where the woman often says someone else is causing the problems when in reality she is the one that is the problem. The music in this song is much more enjoyable because of the instrument choices and vocal effects. The instruments used are more varied from vocals with echo and more dynamic within the vocals. The drum bass sounds nice and smooth with the vocals higher pitch. “Problem” also has some guitars but it is not solely reliant on it like “I Don’t Like You Anymore.”

“Southbound” starts with a cool effect on the vocals as if he is talking through a radio or speaker. The lyrics allude to a relation going south hence the name “Southbound.” The instruments in this song are a nice variety as well, with drums, shakers and guitar. The vocals have many different effects with echos and back up singers giving an eerie feeling in some parts.

Listening to some of Batson’s other songs in “First Dance (The After Party)” I felt there was a weird difference from song to song on the vocals. It is as if these songs were recorded by different aged versions of Batson because the vocals are higher pitched in different songs than other songs. If you listen to “Girl In Green” then listen to “X’s” you can tell the differences in the vocals.

My favorite of them all is “Problem” because there is just a better contrast between everything used in the song. If you are looking to listen to something heavy country I would listen to “I Don’t Like You Anymore.” But if you are looking for a slightly pop-country mix I would listen to “Southbound.” Overall I am not a huge fan of country music like this, but what I felt was the most hard rock friendly was “Problem.”