Song Review: ‘Parachute’ by James Durbin

James Durbin first made his name internationally known on the music scene through his status as “American Idol’s” first-ever hard-rocking metalhead to ever grace the show with his electric presence. His tackling The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” to “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'” by Judas Priest and everything in-between earned him fan favorite status during his run on the show during its tenth season. Despite being a favorite to make the finale, his run was cut just two weeks short when he was shockingly eliminated during the Top 4 results show.

However, this surprising cut served itself more as a platform for Durbin to hop, skip, and jump straight into a deal with Wind-up Records that had landed him the production of his first-ever solo album only a little over a month after the release of winner Scotty McCreery’s debut back in 2011. This came much to the applause of fans worldwide who had loved Durbin since the first time he announced he had come to “Idol” to really “give metal a chance,” wowing the droves of television viewers for the months leading up to his sudden elimination. He did see some good success in the form of “Memories of a Beautiful Disaster,” selling a bit over 100,000- very impressive for an alternative debut. Like on the show, with “Memories,” he flexed his vocal muscles to the max across all different styles of rock, having something on the album that would appeal to everyone from pop-lovers to hardcore metal enthusiasts.

Now, less than five months away from the release of his second solo studio release, “Celebrate” (April 8, 2014), he has released his third single, “Parachute.” Admittedly, opinions are divided and categorized under columns of “love” and “hate” with not much room left for a mixed something-something in between concerning the song’s indication of a more psychedelic pop root for James than he has ever taken before. Given, when looking subjectively at the material, it is most certainly a catchy song with an inspirational lyric that probably gives Durbin the best chance he has at some form of radio success. With that in mind, it’s basically everything that a great single is made from when trying to crack the market in the industry’s current state if it wants a fighting chance.

James and company have written a fine song that should have a good shot at alt.-rock radio play while giving fans a small taste of what should be a greatly varied and intense album release come Spring 2014. Old fans with an open mind and just about anyone with a taste for music deeply rooted within the pop/alt. scene of today could do an aspiring hit-maker a favor by giving James a chance to show you all that he’s got in his musical arsenal. To do so, just support “Parachute” with a purchase for a steal of a price at 69 cents on iTunes, right here. Also keep an eye out for “Celebrate” pre-orders to begin in the near future, as $5 will be donated to the National Tourette Syndrome Association with every purchase. You can listen to “Parachute” by James Durbin in full by following this link.

What do you think of “Parachute”? Sound off in the comments section below!