Jana Kramer, ‘Why Ya Wanna’ – Song Review
Although she's released songs for the CW's 'One Tree Hill,' actress Jana Kramer's first official country single is 'Why Ya Wanna.' The poppy yet forlorn track packs a surprising emotional punch, but it's weakened away by a grating melody.
Kramer is a capable vocalist, and her story about a chance meeting with an ex-lover feels genuine. "I'm hiding and hoping / My face ain't too red / Since we've been over, been trying like crazy to get you out of my head," she sings before going into a chorus that will stick in your head like a Wiggles song.
"So why ya wanna, show up in a, old T-shirt that I love / Why you gotta, tell me that I'm, looking good don't what / You were thinking, you were doing, moving in for a hug / Like you don't know I'm coming undone / Why ya gotta, why ya wanna make me keep wanting you," she sings.
An empathetic second verse eases one back into this otherwise effective story of heartbreak and longing. "Wish you had on sunglasses / To cover up those blue eyes / I wish you said something mean, make me glad that you said good-bye / Why can't you look off somewhere / If you catch me staring at you / Why can't you be cold like any old good ex would do."
While Kramer finds a familiar emotional place between the ribs of her audience, the machine gun-like staccato of the chorus forces one to shut down emotionally every other minute. It's great to begin a career with a song people can't get out of their heads, but it has to be for the right reasons.
Preview Jana Kramer's 'Why Ya Wanna'