Track Listing

1. Before She Does
2. Sinners Like Me
3. How �Bout You
4. These Boots
5. What I Almost Was
6. The Hard Way
7. Guys Like Me
8. Lightning
9. Can�t Take It With You
10. Pledge Allegiance To The Hag (featuring Merle Haggard)
11. Two Pink Lines
12. Livin� Part Of Life

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4644 in Music
• Brand: Liberty
• Released on: 2006-07-18
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Album Description
Rarely does a singer/songwriter reveal as much honesty and assurance as Eric Church does on his debut album. Musically and lyrically, "Sinners Like Me" is this young North Carolina native's sonic autobiography--bone-rattling country rockers that speak of his roots and upbringing, reflective story-songs that reveal a songwriter wise beyond his years, and above all, an artist who knows who he is, and brings all his passion, intellect and talents to this debut project.

Amazon.com
Newcomer Eric Church, the pride of Granite Falls, North Carolina, arrives with his first album--on which he wrote or co-wrote all 12 cuts--as a man worth watching. Sinners Like Me puts down roots in traditional country, and judging from its first single ("How 'Bout You"), Church might seem like a modern-day Charlie Daniels, crowing about blue-collar pride and covering his heart "when they fly that red, white, and blue." But several songs show him to be acutely aware of class lines and how the country is divided more into haves and have-nots than red and blue, and Church is no jingoistic redneck. He doesn't shy away from controversial subjects--the capital punishment of "Lightning" and the casual sex/pregnancy of "Two Pink Lines" may bring Steve Earle to mind--and his thoughtful, sensitive, and well-crafted songs, delivered in a hard-bitten baritone, show him to be as much poet as patriot. If "Pledge Allegiance to the Hag" (featuring a cameo by Merle Haggard himself) seems a bit too easy a reach, "The Hard Way," about the kind of regrets that forever haunt one's dreams, finds this Church spreading the much-needed gospel of honor and accountability. An impressive debut. --Alanna Nash

From the Artist
I personally like music that goes way out and picks a side. And I think we've made an honest record. I don't think there's a song on there that's not me. If you listen to this, you'll find out who I am.

Customer Reviews

Solid, REAL country music!
Starting in November of '05, there have been several debut releases by artists with a penchant for the traditional. It began (to the best of my recollection) with Ray Scott's MY KIND OF MUSIC, and proceeded through albums by Jamey Johnson and Trent Tomlinson (there are probably others I'm unaware of, or have simply forgotten; my appologies). Eric Church's SINNERS LIKE ME carries on this tradition of traditionalism, with an album that is real, pure, and unadulterated country music.

Don't believe me? Check out the opening number, with the classic line: "Jesus is gonna come back before she does." Or "Two Pink Lines," about the anxiety two teens face waiting for pregnancy test results ("One means none and we're home free/Two means three and a diamond ring"). There's "Lightning," about a man on his way to the electric chair; there's the heartache and regret of "The Hard Way," "These Boots," and "What I Almost Was." Even "Pledge Allegiance To the Hag" manages to remain mostly un-cheesy (the appearance made by Merle himself isn't much of a surprise, though, and a tad bit unecessary).

SINNERS LIKE ME is a stellar country album. Eric Church is a promising new singer/songwriter...he wrote or co-wrote all the tracks on this album, and his voice is rugged and home-grown...much like the Hag's, actually. There is a traditional outlaw bent in the arrangement; there's a brutal honesty in the lyrics; there's a yearning in the vocals; and there's some great country music on this album. Church may go far (his debut single, "How 'Bout You," somehow managed to catch radio listeners' ears, an astounding feet for a traditional tune of independence), or he may not...whatever the results, he's country through and through. God willing and any luck, he'll be a star, and help bring country music back to its roots. Until that day, we have SINNERS LIKE ME, one of the best albums to come out yet this year.

And this is just his first album..........
Country music is supposed to be the music of the blue collar worker, the anthem of everyday people, and that's exactly how Eric Church sings it. His first radio single, "How 'Bout You", is a country song to the core, with a beat very like Dierks Bentleys' "Lot Of Leavin' Left To Do". "Before She Does", "Sinners Like Me", and "Pledge Allegiance To the Hag" all echo the same message in different ways; hard work, belief in God, American and blue collar pride, and rocking country. Every song is good, with "Two Pink Lines", a song about teenage 'troubles' (ie is she pregnant)and "What I Almost Was", a song expressing thanks for not doing what seemed to be best at the time, being especially noteworthy. If you like Toby Keith or Aaron Tippin (blue collar singers), you will like Eric Church. In my opinion, this is the best album thus far this year, and I hope that Church will be just as good in his next album.

Amazing album! Non-stop play!
I heard Eric Church the first time live in Minneapolis at the annual Aquatennial celebration concert. He was very genuine and friendly, and he explained his personal connection to every song and the history behind how he wrote the song. His singing is amazing, and his live performance is the best I have seen in several years! I recommend the album and I look forward to his success in entering the country music scene.