Tucker Wetmore: ‘What Not To’ – Debut Album Review
Tucker Wetmore shares his brand new debut album, What Not To, out now on all streaming platforms. Listen to the new project here.
For Tucker Wetmore, his debut album, What Not To, reflects on the pivotal moments in life that have crafted him into the person he’s still becoming. “What Not To is an album that talks about living. It’s a diary of life and what you can take away from it, if you allow yourself to learn,” he shares. “There’s no such thing as a bad experience or a bad time. It’s all just an opportunity to grow.”
For the Washington native, those experiences are on full display throughout the LP’s 19 tracks, laden with heartbreak, heartache, new love, joy, and everything in between. Wetmore co-wrote on 11 of the album’s tracks, enlisting additional contributions from Nashville writers including Tucker Beathard, Chase McGil, Jameson Rodgers, Jordan Reynolds, and more. Produced by Chris LaCorte, the album weaves through various stories that Wetmore describes “like red yarn connecting a bunch of pins on a wall.”
The album kicks off its story with “Whatcha Think Is Gonna Happen,” a moody midtempo that finds Wetmore battling with his own vices and temptations. Over a catchy beat, he admits, “It ain’t all that complicated, I just can’t turn down temptation.” Battling those external and internal demons becomes a prevalent theme in Wetmore’s story, as he deals with the bottle and his own generational traumas throughout his relationships.
On songs like the summer-ready “Bad Luck Looks Good On Me” and the catchy “Casino,” the 25-year-old warns a woman not to gamble on him admitting that love is a lot like a game of chance. “Casino” is a clear standout on the record, pairing a catchy hook with even catchier lyrics.
“She’s a casino I’m a stone-cold joker that keeps on throwing dice // Spinning a wheel putting it all on red but the house wins every time // Queen of breaking my heart been counting my cards // I should get up and leave but I won’t // I’m a sucker for another hand // And one more dance with this damn casino”
“Brunette” is a gallop of a song, taking listeners on a journey through Wetmore’s psyche with its clever metaphor to his own battle with anxiety in relationships. In fact, the music’s near franticity crafts an incredible scene that could easily be used in a movie or TV soundtrack.
The album’s title track may be the most personal on the album, a sparse reflection of a broken family and an absentee father, as Wetmore longs to break the cycle and be a better man. “I gotta admit I don’t know what to do,” He muses, voice laced with emotion. “But thanks to you I know what not to.”
“That was one of the toughest songs I’ve ever written, but also one of the easiest too, because it just kind of fell out onto the paper,” Wetmore says of the title track. “I write from experiences, feeling, and emotion, and it often comes from a higher power that I really don’t understand. That’s how writing that song felt.”
While Wetmore shines on heartache, he can also craft a radio-ready earworm. This is evidenced on songs like “3,2,1,” “Break First,” and the sun-drenched “Silverado Blue.” While “Break First” is a super catchy ode to an opposites attract relationship, “Takes One to Break One” finds him looking for a new habit to help him break an old one.
“When I Ain’t Looking” is a gorgeous ballad about finding love when you’re least expecting it, while “Give Her The World” is an ode to a girl who’s on the receiving end of his love, and can’t quite accept it. Likewise, the mega-hit “Wind Up Missin’ You” is a breezy and thrumming ballad about an instantaneous connection that may lead to heartbreak if it doesn’t work out.
“You look like waves on a sunset // And you can crash on me all night // You look like wine in a truck bed // A little what I’m doing for the rest of my life cause // You look like I’m done looking But girl the hard truth is // If this night don’t turn into two // You look like I’m gonna wind up missin’ you”
Much of the album is soaked in whiskey, with Wetmore wondering if it’s the cause of his relationship problems. Things are on and off on songs like “Whiskey Again” and “Goodbye Whiskey,” which features a musical interlude that sounds straight out of a Coldplay anthem. Likewise, “Drinking Boots” finds him one shot away from calling an ex, while “Drunk on Her” finds him nearly addicted to a woman he can’t quite quit.
The album ends on a slower and introspective note with “Wine Into Whiskey” followed by “Whiskey Again.” While the former is a heartbreak ballad, it finds Wetmore accepting blame for being the heartbreaker in a relationship. “If I was her I’d damn sure hate me,” He sings, voice full of regret. “I turned her love into pain and her wine into whiskey.”
The album ends with “Whiskey Again,” a mournfully sparse ballad that finds him battling heartache at the bottom of a whiskey glass. “Whiskey again // I swore that I was done with you // But here we are old friend,” he laments. “Misery misery // Misery’s what I’m in.”
“I didn’t want this album to be just songs — I wanted them to be songs with purpose…” Wetmore says of the LP. “Music makes you feel something. When I was going through things as a kid, I turned to music and it didn’t let me down. I hope What Not To does the same for everyone who listens.”
We’re pretty sure it will do just that.
Country Swag Picks:
- Casino
- 3,2,1
- Break First
- When I Ain’t Lookin’
- Brunette
What Not To Tracklist:
- Whatcha Think Is Gonna Happen? (Matt Jenkins, Ben Stennis, Michael Tyler)
- 3,2,1 (Josh Miller, Summer Overstreet, Jordan Reynolds)
- Bad Luck Looks Good On Me (Tucker Wetmore, Julian Bunetta, Jackson Foote, Jaxson Free, Steph Jones)
- Casino (Josh Jenkins, Alex Palmer, John Pierce and Michael Tyler)
- Takes One To Break One (Matt Jenkins, Josh Miller, Ben Stennis)
- Brunette (Chris LaCorte, Chase McGill, Josh Miller, Blake Pendergrass)
- Wind Up Missin’ You (Tucker Wetmore, Thomas Archer, Chris LaCorte)
- Give Her The World (Tucker Wetmore, Madison Kozak, Chase McDaniel)
- Goodbye Whiskey (Tucker Wetmore, Thomas Archer, Ross Copperman, Jacob Hackworth)
- When I Ain’t Lookin’ (Austin Goodloe, Thomas Archer, Michael Tyler, Tucker Beathard)
- Drink Alone (Tucker Wetmore, Jacob Hackworth, Chris LaCorte, Chase McGill, Jameson Rodgers)
- Bad Habit (Tucker Wetmore, Corey Crowder, Chris LaCorte, Jameson Rodgers)
- What Not To (Tucker Wetmore, Jacob Hackworth, Chris LaCorte, Chase McGill, Jameson Rodgers)
- Break First (Michael Tyler, Matt Roy, Lauren Hungate, Matt Dragstrem)
- Drinkin’ Boots (Demo) (Tucker Wetmore, Jared Keim, Michael Lotten)
- Drunk On Her (Jaxson Free, Gabe Foust, Jacob Hackworth, Chris Tompkins)
- Silverado Blue (Tucker Wetmore, Brett Sheroky, Dan Wilson)
- Wine Into Whiskey (Tucker Wetmore, Jacob Hackworth, Justin Ebach)
- Whiskey Again (Tucker Wetmore, Jacob Hackworth, Chris LaCorte, Chase McGill, Jameson Rodgers)
Tucker Wetmore releases debut album, “What Not To,’ out now on all streaming platforms.
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What Not To is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music here on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.
