| Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Track Structure | 6 |
| Interest | 8 |
| Melody | 6 |
| Performance | 9 |
| Lyrics | 7 |
| Enjoyment | 8 |
| Recording Quality | 9 |
| Commercial Appeal | 7 |
| Overall | 7.5 |
Pack a Day Habit is a rock song that doesn't hang about. We're
straight into it with a great guitar riff to hook the listener, raise
the pulse and engage the ears! There's a 70's rock feel to this intro,
with some extremely tight playing all round, especially the rhythm and
bass. The verse continues along the same lines with Chickie's clear
vocals closely shadowing the rhythm and melody of the rhythm guitar
line established in the intro.
From the verse we're straight into the chorus. At this stage 34 seconds
have elapsed. There is a school of thought that you can't get to the
chorus quick enough and once it's been established make sure the
listener is humming it to themselves for the rest of the day by
repeating it as many times as possible. Chickie seems to be following
this school of thought for Pack a Day Habit. What you notice in this
song is that the chorus comes around very quickly. The verses feel
quite short(about 15 seconds long) and with no bridge this means you
find yourself back on the chorus in no time at all. Also the chorus
lasts twice as long as the verse, so there's no getting away from the
fact that you can easily sing along after about 2 minutes.
The song's premise and lyrics equate the addictive quality of
cigarettes to the addictive nature of a new relationship. The structure
of the song bears this out very well. The structure is very simple -
verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, chorus, chorus, chorus.
Chickie makes you come back for more and more. The chorus, while not
being the most melodic in the world, is certainly catchy. There is a
subtle build throught the song, as each chorus has additional layers of
vocals, harmonies, instruments and intensity.
The performance side of the song can't be faulted. I've already
mentioned the tight playing and this, coupled with Chickie's excellent
rock voice make for a great sound.
Pack a Day Habit is a good song. It could be elevated to the status of
a great song, with a knock-out break after one of the choruses to take
the listener away, let them experience mild cold turkey before bringing
them back for a knock-out fix of the chorus.
Martin Gallagher - July 2009
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