HARDY, the mockingbird & THE CROW | Album Review 💿

HARDY delivers an entertaining, often unapologetic country effort with his 2023 LP, the mockingbird & THE CROW.

Among my New Year’s resolutions in 2023 was to review more albums. Also, I wanted to up the variety of albums reviewed.  So, unexpectedly, I’m reviewing 🎙 HARDY. HARDY is not a go-to artist personally, however, seeing his rise in popularity, and encountering some of his songs as well as songs he’s written with others, I was curious. So, with the release of 💿 the mockingbird & THE CROW, I took a chance. I am glad that I did step out the box a bit.  The mockingbird & THE CROW is a far more entertaining album than expected even with the usual country clichés in play. So, if you will, take the journey of The mockingbird & THE CROW with me through this track-by-track review!

“beer”

“And I’ll be here till the factory quits making me / Sincerely, Beer.” Well, those lyrics from the opener, 🎵 “beer” say it all.  Alcoholic consumption is commonplace in country music, so, it’s not the least bit far-fetched that HARDY commences the album with beer.  The sound of the record is idiomatic of country, with its wall of guitars, and ample twang from HARDY.  “Beer” is followed up by 🤩 🎵 “red,” which features one of country’s biggest stars, 🎙 Morgan Wallen.  The collaboration is a success – country gold. Furthermore, the ideas and theme are on-brand with the conservative, southern sensibilities associated with the genre.  “Red, I’m talking ‘bout the sun coming up and the sun going down / On a John Deere, turning up a hard work check,” HARDY sings in the opening verse. Further evidence arrives via the chorus, where he asserts, “I ain’t talking politics, I’m talking small town / And if you’re from one, you know what I’m talking ‘bout.” Wokeness is rarely part of the country script, so liberalism is not in play here.  Bud Weiser, The Bible, and Patriotism, on the other hand, are (“For a wind-torn flag that’s blue and white and red”).

As strong as the Morgan Wallen collaboration is, the even better union occurs between HARDY and 🎙 Lainey Wilson on 🤩 🎵 “wait in the truck.”  Yes, the twang is elevated to the n^th degree.  Also elevated – kicked up a notch, Emeril Lagasse style – is the songwriting. “Well, she was bruised and broke from head to toe / With a tear in her blood-stained shirt,” he sings in the second verse, adding, “She didn’t tell me the whole truth, but she didn’t have to / I knew what happened to her.” Clearly, there is abuse at the hands of another man in play, something that Wilson sings about in the chorus.  Characterizing HARDY (or his character, rather) as an angel, she asserts, “He was hellbent to find the man behind / All the whiskey scars I hid / I never thought my day of justice / Would come from a judge under his seat…” Intriguing that an angel with a piece (aka gun) can be hellish… The choir is a phenomenal addition to “wait in the truck,” adding some gospel vibes as both HARDY and Lainey state, “Have mercy on me.”

“drink one for me” 

Have I mentioned that alcoholic consumption is commonplace in country music? Of course, I have. Once again, beer gets its moment on 🤩 🎵 “drink one for me.”  The difference in this case is that this record comes from the perspective of a deceased friend.  The late friend essentially tells HARDY and their fellow friends to remember him… “Drink one for me.”  Besides a cold beer, there are references to fishing (shocker), Lynyrd Skynyrd, and all those southern-associated things they did together while he was alive.  All told, it marks another standout moment from the mockingbird & THE CROW.

🎵 “I in country” is intriguing.  This song isn’t about the letter I, which is not in the word country.  No, “I in country” is about the U in country, which is technically Y-O-U.  Long story short, HARDY is better sharing his life with someone special as opposed to being all alone. After all, “I ain’t never seen a pickup [truck] without a shotgun seat.” True! Following the devoted ballad, 🤩 🎵 “screen” cries foul about television and the cellphone… screen.  As for HARDY, rather than being obsessed with a phone, or hearing bad news via the TV screen, he’d rather be “Watching the storm / Somewhere from a chair just staring through a back porch / Screen.” Sure, we can’t escape the bad things that happen on screen, but HARDY has a point when he suggests, “I need to heal, need to feel, like I’m alive right now / Pull the plug, just shatter the glass / Make it stop, these days under a rock doesn’t sound half bad.”

“happy”

On 🎵 “happy,” happy isn’t mere emotion – it’s a person. HARDY speaks of the happiness as well as if you treat happy wrong, “he don’t show for a while.” The country singer brings his point ‘on home’ in the chorus: “My old friend, where has the time gone? We were thick as thieves until hate came along.” He follows up with 🎵 “here lies country music,” where he eulogizes the genre.  HARDY remembers some of its biggest triumphs, and how therapeutic it is.  “Helped people through some hard times, more times than you can count,” he sings in the second verse, continuing, “So you hate to see three chords and the truth six feet in the ground.” Showing his devotion to the genre, in the bridge, he asserts, “And I pray that I leave this world before country music does.” Give him credit for the songwriting and the authenticity of his performance.

After eight tracks, 🤩 🎵 “the mockingbird & THE CROW,” the title track, finally arrives.  Once more, HARDY is in reflection mode.  Interestingly, the record plays up the idea of copycatting.  This begins with the opening line, in which he sings, “I grew up in a little town named after another” (Philadelphia, Mississippi as opposed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). It doesn’t cease there as he admits to clichés growing up country, emulating songs he’s already heard, hence why he’s “always been a mockingbird but now I’m a mockingbird with a microphone.” By the third verse, there is a shift, which finds “the mockingbird & THE CROW” adding more rock sensibilities, not to mention dropping some f-bombs (“Throw in a slow love song or two / Well, fuck that, and fuck you ‘cause”). HARDY introduces a new chorus in this two-part song, changing course as he “Refuse(s) to be another / Mockingbird with a microphone / I’ll fly the line I choose to, brother / Even if that makes me the crow, the crow, the crow.” Safe to say, “the mockingbird & THE CROW” is epic.

“SOLD OUT”

Ah, the come up! Even country musicians can experience the come up.  Despite the fact that HARDY’s “last name / Is a whole lot bigger than I thought it’d be,” he remains “the same old redneck fuck, don’t give a damn / Ain’t afraid to throw a dead buck on my Instagram.” Oh, snap! Honestly, not much more needs to be say about the 10^th track – dude ain’t 🎵 “SOLD OUT”! After not being a sellout, how about some alcohol to take off the edge? “But if you stick with me, buddy, you can bet your life / She’ll be walking out with you by the end of the night.” Hmm, apparently, that’s thanks to 🎵 “JACK”, the great temporary atonement…the key being temporary. Jack Daniels, and booze in general, has the potential to ruin lives, particularly when abused, even if it deceptively makes you feel good.  Perhaps “Rock bottom ain’t as bad when you’re rocking with me [Jack],” but ultimately it can make life far worse.

Keeping tally, we’ve had “the same old redneck fuck,” and, of course, beer – several times.  What more does the mockingbird & THE CROW, need? A truck! “I woke up on the wrong side of the truck bed this morning / With a bone-dry bottle of Jack I was pouring.” Woo! On the tongue in cheek 🎵 “TRUCK BED,” HARDY manages to incorporate a contemporary bag of production tricks (beat, rhythmic identity), along with the truck, alcohol, hunting (“That fuckin’ bird’s about to catch this .45”), boots, and being curbed (“Damn, she got some nerve way she kicked me to the curb”). My, my, my!

“.30-06” 

Keeping it country – we are talking about a redneck here – 🤩 🎵 “.30-06” delivers an energetic, entertaining narrative about guns.  Yay! It all begins with an angry woman, who took his gun, something that HARDY is clearly passionate about.  He brushes it off, however, asserting, “What’s one less .30-06 to a redneck?” Even though he believes his ex made respectable money off his gun, he makes it clear, “But she ain’t messed my season up / I had a backup under my bed.” Furthermore, being vengeful, he plans to “Hit her ‘bout 10 AM when she sees another dead buck on my Instagram.”  Woo! While guns and hunting aren’t part of my repertoire, HARDY makes it sound compelling on this outlandish joint. 

🎵 “I AIN’T IN THE COUNTRY NO MORE” is more relatable than it probably should be.  How so?  Within the song, HARDY leaves a place of familiarity and realizes his new home is completely different from what he’s used to.  He uses numerous examples of how things have changed. Early on, he “Said goodbye to mom and pops, Church parking lots, roadblocks, and potholes.” Maybe it is positive to many that he left the last few items on that list, but he inherits sirens, a cut foot (can’t go barefoot in the city), and a homeless drunk. The point is, HARDY is proud of where he’s from and what he knows.  He captures that well in “I AIN’T IN THE COUNTRY NO MORE.”

“RADIO SONG”

Ah, the homestretch of the mockingbird & THE CROW begins with 🤩 🎵 “RADIO SONG” featuring 🎙 Jeremy McKinnon. This is NOT your father’s country music.  Yes, “RADIO SONG” has its country moments – the chorus – but otherwise, it is, um, its own distinct record. The appearance of McKinnon (🎙 A Day To Remember) alone signals “RADIO SONG” hits different. For one, arguably, the most important, screamed lyric that he ‘sings’ is “Fuck”… There’s metalcore energy, for sure.  Furthermore, HARDY, save for the chorus, dips into hip-hop, sort of, with his quasi-rapped verses.  One of the bullets he serves up: “Well if it ain’t under four minutes it ain’t gon’ be a hit / If there ain’t no steel in it they ain’t gon’ play yo shit.” That $h!† right there is cold!

Penultimate record maintains the unapologetic, gives no Fs side of HARDY. The redneck is who he is, and he, indeed, intends to 🎵 “KILL SH!T TILL I DIE”! Like “RADIO SONG,” there is some rock influence, particularly in the chorus.  In the pre-chorus, he unveils a philosophy that is redneck to the core involving guns, a bloodhound, hunting, and totally NOT “Crying at that crashing Nasdaq.” If you need further affirmation of HARDY’s redneck status, look no further than the playful 🎵 “THE REDNECK SONG.”  After dipping into rock, “THE REDNECK SONG” fittingly settles back into country.  

Final Thoughts 💭

Give HARDY credit – he is true to self throughout the course of 💿 the mockingbird & THE CROW.  In the process, he manages to release some impressive songs.  While the country fan base is whom the mockingbird & THE CROW is most aimed at, more casual country listeners may very well enjoy this album too (I consider myself part of that crowd).  The biggest selling point is how entertaining HARDY is. Even so, there are some great songs, and the man has a nice voice too. the mockingbird & THE CROW is NOT ‘the second coming,’ but there is plenty of replay value.

🤩 Gems 💎: “red,” “wait in the truck,” “drink one for me,” “screen,” “the mockingbird & THE CROW,” “.30-06,” & “RADIO SONG”

🎙 HARDY • 💿 the mockingbird & THE CROW • 🏷 Big Loud / Big Loud Rock • 🗓 1.20.23

[📷: Big Loud / Big Loud Rock]