“Too Bad You’re No Good” is the exciting new single from bluegrass group and family band Lindley Creek. Made up of Kathie, John, Katie, and Jase Greer Lindley Creek was born over a decade and a half ago. Kathie and John would often play music around the house but found that country music lyrics about drinking and cheating weren’t the best thing to be exposing their children to. The spark for Lindley Creek began when John’s Sunday schoolteacher was playing bluegrass music with his kids. He introduced bluegrass to the rest of the family and after falling in love with it they started playing together. After diving headfirst into the genre and practicing their skills over the years, the family soon formed Lindley Creek and started playing locally. The group took their dreams to the next level when they recorded their album Freedom, Love and the Open Road. Now Lindley Creek is adding to their unique sound with “Too Bad You’re No Good.”

URL: https://lindleycreek.com/

This is a track about trusting the wrong man like you’ve never heard before. “Too Bad You’re No Good” chronicles the reflections of a woman on the man she loved who was nothing but bad news. We all know and love tracks like this but “Too Bad You’re No Good” is in its own category. Lead singer Katie shows off her brilliant voice as she croons about her lost love by gently calling out his character flaws. The lyrics are smart and tasteful and provide vivid imagery for the type of guy she was with. “Midnight knockin’ you’re droppin’ around/Trash talkin’ and stalkin’ me down,” tells you everything you need to know about the man in question. While there are plenty of lyrics that immediately make you side with Katie its when she sings “You made me love you so bad/Too bad you’re no good,” that you really empathize with her. Even when someone isn’t good for us, it doesn’t mean you didn’t love them, thats the honest message and lesson of “Too Bad You’re No Good.” This honesty makes “Too Bad You’re No Good” relatable and universal, something Lindley Creek seem to be masters of.

The production of “Too Bad You’re No Good” is as good as it gets. While most of the instruments blend together marvelously you can still pinpoint every sound. Whether its the deep cut of the upright bass, the twang of the mandolin, sweet strumming of the guitar, or the feverish energy of the fiddle its all there, telling its own story. No sound is lost in the convergence of instruments or in the wake of Katie’s powerful voice everything is preserved beautifully. The mixing is as crisp as it gets yet maintains a feeling that you’re watching Lindley Creek perform live. The Greer’s skill is evident from the mastery that can be heard over their respective instruments. When Katie lowers her voice a few octaves towards the end of the track all of the instruments quiet down too. There is an understanding and love for this genre and its instruments  that can be felt and heard on “Too Bad You’re No Good.”

Lindley Creek successfully merges the old with the new on “Too Bad You’re No Good.” There is all the classic aspects of bluegrass along with influences of other genres like Pop and Country. Katie’s performance reflects this the most with how evocative it is. You really feel her longing, her realization that there’s no salvaging the relationship, there’s no ignoring the truth. Her vocal control and expressiveness makes “Too Bad You’re No Good” feel lived-in and familiar. I like the masculine back up vocals that round out the track by adding a textural depth to it. As Katie’s emotional tone lessens so do the instruments, almost like Katie and the instruments are in a mini call and response throughout the tracks. Its in all these details that you can identify Lindley Creek’s unique artistry.

“Too Bad You’re No Good” is Lindley Creek’s latest single that promises to transport you to a movie of your own making. Its impossible not to picture yourself somewhere or doing something  set against the setting sun when you listen to this song. “Too Bad You’re No Good” will empower you and get your hips moving. You’ve never heard a song quite like this one and you won’t forget it. Lindley Creek knows what they’re doing and their love for music and bluegrass is clear on “Too Bad You’re No Good.” You can’t go wrong with this track. It makes me wonder what else Lindley Creek has up their sleeve! Check out “Too Bad You’re No Good” now!

Garth Thomas