"Wings of a Honky Tonk Angel" reviewed by David Cantwell (from Country Music Magazine, October/November 2002 issue)

The title track of Brad Martin's debut practically takes your breath away - and not just because the Ohio native's slightly scratchy tenor does such a wrenching job of wishing he could alleviate his broken heart by flying away on the wings of a honky-tonk angel. Just as noteworthy is how quiet it is. Martin is backed by little more than piano, fiddle and brushes, a stripped-down arrangement virtually unheard lately in Nashville, particularly from a young artist.

The album's finest moments follow in this vein, providing some breathing space between each note of his state-of-the-art honky-tonkers and power ballads. "Completely," a love song about the necessity of love songs, and "The Fifth," where a man declines to answer questions of fidelity only to find himself divorced and drinking from a paper bag, are both clever and moving. There's even room to live and learn in Martin's first single, "Before I Knew Better," a rousing ode to hard lessons that's dominated by pedal steel guitar - and moments of quiet - before each chorus explodes to the unnecessary volume radio prefers. Unfortunately, by disc's end, Martin and producer Billy Joe Walker Jr. make the sorts of choices - stupid songs and emotionally inappropriate arrangements - that the album's more successful tracks avoid.

For example, "That's A Woman" finds Martin condescending to a faithful lover, reducing the woman's individual acts of devotion to essential traits of her gender. And the concluding "Making Me Wait," about a randy guy dating a woman who won't let him get to "first base," couples crass male eagerness with a menacing rhythm track - as if the singer were but one chorus away from running out of patience entirely. It's a creepy and hopefully out-of-character finale to an otherwise promising debut.

"Wings Of A Honky Tonk Angel" reviewed by Todd Sterling (used courtesy of CountryReviews.com)

Newcomer Brad Martin tears a page straight from the book of Haggard and Jones on his debut album, Wings Of A Honky Tonk Angel (Epic), proving there's still hope for real country music.  The 29-year-old singer/songwriter digs deep into the past while adding a contemporary edge to his music, displaying an emotional maturity that reaches far beyond the scope of his peers.  Martin's songs cut to the bone.  Everything isn't all sunshine and roses for this Ohio native; he's not afraid to sing about broken hearts and empty bottles.

Martin may look like he belongs on the cover of GQ or starring alongside other physically blessed specimens in Hollywood, but looks can be deceiving.  Once the plastic comes off this CD and you slip it into your stereo, you quickly find out you're not listening to another (bad) music row fabrication.  Martin is no Franken-country singer, created by a committee of tone-deaf, musically challenged mad-scientists who focus on nothing more than the bottom line.  The young singer is as genuine as the leather jacket he's wearing on the back cover.

"Before I Knew Better", a well crafted number that deals with shattered dreams and broken love, gets high marks thanks in part to Paul Franklin's chilling steel guitar.  A man recounts his failures and longs for a second chance with the woman he spurned while he was selfishly living the late night life with all of his good-time friends.

Martin knows how to rock out as evidenced by the upbeat, acoustic-heavy "Rub Me The Right Way" and the energetic "Run To Me", but he certainly knows how to slow things down without resorting to sappy production or feigned emotion.  Songs like "Completely" and the Hag-like "On The Wings Of A Honky Tonk Angel" sound as though they could be remakes of older hits, although theyre not.

Martin had a hand in writing eight of the ten tracks, including "Damn The Whiskey" and "Just Like Love", two tracks that would appeal to both Brooks & Dunn and Keith Whitley fans alike.  A man drowns his sorrows with whiskey as his life falls apart on "The Fifth".  Infidelity causes the songs character to lose everything that means anything to him, including his wife, and sends him headlong into a bottle in order to avoid facing the truth.

"That's A Woman" is a lightly strummed piece that finds Martin listing off his womans most desirable qualities.  Martin wraps his tradition-drenched vocals around an ethereal production and a warmly inviting melody.

The last few years have been hard ones for country music.  The pop invasion has turned the genre into a cluttered wasteland of one-hit wonders and pretenders.  Thankfully, with new artists like Blake Shelton, Steve Azar, Kevin Denney, and now Brad Martin, the future is looking brighter every day.  Martin has the talent and the muscle behind him to help pull country music out of its current slump and build himself a lasting career.