Redferrin is ready to establish himself in mainstream music as a buzzy new artist. After writing for various acts under Florida Georgia Line’s publishing company, Tree Vibez Music, and releasing a handful of his own tracks over the past few years, Blake Redferrin has released his first EP titled Old No. 7. An artist’s first project, whether a full-length album or extended play, is always a big moment in their career as it gives the public an early glimpse into who they are, the sound they seek to cultivate, and the stories they want to tell. For Redferrin, it means throwing a little of everything at the wall to see what sticks.
Granted, there’s nothing inherently wrong with doing that. This is a debut EP, not some massive, career-defining record with tons of expectations surrounding it, so there’s less pressure to keep things cohesive. Redferrin isn’t afraid to dive into different sounds on this project and keep things loose but in the areas where he takes things more seriously or tries to craft a radio hit, you get the sense that something doesn’t click, reminding you once again that Redferrin still doesn’t know the niche he’s after.
None of the songs on Old No. 7 resonate like “Jack and Diet Coke” does, which remains the best song on the project. From its catchy chorus to the solid vocal performance, it’s no wonder that this unique take on a flash-in-the-pan romance is starting to see some creeping success on the radio. The second single from the project, “Miss Summer,” was too generic and similar to Morgan Wallen’s catalog to stand out as a Redferrin song. “Jack and Diet Coke,” on the other hand, manages to do exactly that; he sounds authentic, purpose-driven, and ready to tell a story.
You’ll find that same energy on the song “Just Like Johnny,” which sees Redferrin dip his toes in the Brantly Gilbert corner of country rock with loud guitars and aggressive vocals, asking his girlfriend to forgive him after messing things up again but admitting that he still loves her “like Johnny loved June.” It’s a unique spin on a screw-up song that doesn’t immediately make sense in your mind, but over time, it grows you.
The second track on the EP, “Lose Her For Nothin’,” sounds like any other listless cut that you’d manufacture in a Nashville writer’s room. The production is actually quite good, as are Redferrin’s vocals. That said, the lyrics could be sung by literally anyone, and the song would still sound exactly the same.
Actually, there’s one person who comes to mind when listening to “Lose Her For Nothin’” or track six, “She’s Like Whiskey:” Tyler Hubbard. Redferrin became close with the FGL frontman early in his career, leading to his signing with Tree Vibez Music. With such a tight connection as Tyler’s collaborator, it’s easy to understand why you’d get FGL vibes from Redferrin. That said, it’s one thing to get those vibes and for the songs to sound like FGL throwaways, which these two definitely do.
“Doin’ Life” is Redferrin’s most emotional song he’s released to date, but it fails to capture the genuine cry for help you’d expect from lyrics like, “hardly made it through the nights, I was fighting suicide.” The EP concludes with “Champagne in the Morning;” after listening to it multiple times, it’s still hard to tell what he was going for. A tale about reminiscing on a past relationship, the song’s loud production is far too big to compliment Redferrin’s more limited vocal range, leaving the listener with a feeling that it’s a demo for another artist and not something Redferrin wrote and recorded for himself.
Altogether, Old No. 7 is an interesting introduction to Redferrin’s world. While songs like “Doin’ Life” and “Lose Her For Nothin’” will likely be forgotten, the project has moments where Redferrin shows enough potential to become a mainstay in country music. However, if his eventual debut album is anywhere near as scatterbrained or generic as some of these songs are, and he can’t lock down the sound that will help him stand out from the crowd, it might be best for the singer-songwriter to stick with writing.
6.3/10
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