What If? (CD - 2004)

Emerson Drive: Brad Mates (vocals, acoustic guitar); Danick Dupelle (guitar, background vocals); David Pichette (fiddle); Dale Wallace (keyboards); Patrick Bourque (bass instrument, bass guitar); Mike Melancon (drums, percussion).

The presence of 1980s superstar Richard Marx as the producer on Emerson Drive's sophomore disc serves as an immediate indication that WHAT IF? is no ordinary Nashville country album. Indeed, two-stepping beats and steel guitars rarely make an appearance here, replaced instead by driving bass, big drum sounds, and tight harmony singing more likely to be heard in a suburban teenage bedroom than in a roadside honky-tonk. On the romantic ballads "I'll Die Trying" and "Take It From Me," Emerson Drive lead vocalist Brad Mates sounds like a slightly down-home version of Eric Carmen or Bryan Adams, while the peppy, danceable "November" recalls George Michael's hit "Faith." Pop-country music with a strong emphasis on the former component, WHAT IF? will appeal to Top 40 fans with a hankering for a little Southern charm. minimize