Lucas Hoge, ‘Give a Damn’ – Song Review

Lucas Hoge's new song 'Give a Damn' sounds vaguely familiar, but the new country artist proves that it's possible to borrow from established country songs to make a distinctive new one. This is another chest-thumping, proud-to-be-country paean, but that's a sub-genre that shows no sign of getting old.

Two things stand out about 'Give a Damn.' The first is how creative the ICM nominee gets with his rhymes. "I'm a shoot you straiter, meat-and-potater, call-you-back-later man / Whiskey sippin', cow tippin', skinny dippin' fan / I four-course-supper, crank-it-on-upper, big tires trucker guy / A dirt road lover, good to my mother and brother, let me tell you why," he sings in the second verse.

Hoge wrote the song as the theme for GAC's new series 'Tom's Wild Life,' which debuts this Sunday, September 18. Viewers only get a glimpse of the clever lyrics in the show's credits; this song is full of ear-opening moments.

The second thing that stands out is how close to Craig Morgan's 'Bonfire' this song sounds. Morgan's chorus begins with "At the bonfire, out in the sticks / country backwoods, homegrown hicks," while Hoge sings, "That I'm backwoods out in the sticks / Down home rebel hick," before adding, "Country as it gets and proud to be / I'm homegrown, southern bred / Switch raised and cornfed / And if you got a beef with who I am / Ask me if I give a damn."

The similarity is pretty inoffensive, mostly because if you like one of these songs you'll likely enjoy the other. No fan will claim he intentionally ripped off Morgan's song, and to be honest, had he tweaked the lyrics he'd have likely ended up with a lesser song. 'Give a Damn' is a genuine effort in a country sub-genre that never seems to saturate.

Listen to Lucas Hoge, 'Give a Damn'