The band Tonic has been one of my favorite bands for a long time. If I had a total play stat counter for CD spins like they do for Spotify, Tonic would easily be one of the bands I listen to the most.
When the band released a new single earlier this year – ‘To Be Loved’, I was thrilled and relieved that it had that melodic personality that made me a fan to begin with. Don’t get me wrong, it sounds fresh as any charting song on the US Alt Chart but it doesn’t lose that Tonic flavor.
Coinciding with the new track is the 25th anniversary of the bands biggest single – ‘If You Could Only See’, which was re-recorded for the milestone. Sounds as good as ever. Actually, that brings up another thought. Does Emerson Hart ever age? His voice sounds like a young man that just got signed to his first recording contract. Seriously, if I get a chance to sit down with him at some point for an interview I’m asking how he has kept his voice in such great shape.
I recently made a quick road trip to Nashville. Tonic was a major piece of my playlist. New song, old songs and my favorite songs. So I decided when I got back I would publish my top ten favorite Tonic tracks.
One thing I want to note before we get started. I do not claim these to be the best Tonic songs. Only my favorite. Or at least my preference when I listen to them. I always try to be truthful with these top tens and not make a crowd pleasing list full of hits (but if the hits are the list – then what are ya gonna do, right?) But these are my order of listening preference.
10. Irish – I love the way the toms dictate the pace of this song. They continually raise the blood pressure until we get to – “I won’t die for England – NOT FOR ENGLAND!!” – It’s a great climb and payoff in the song.
09. You Wanted More – It’s not an odd time signature but it sort of feels that way with the guitar riff and drum fills. And I am definitely here for it. Also, it’s just a damn relatable song to anyone that’s been in a relationship like the one Hart describes.
08. Wicked Soldier – The album ‘Lemon Parade’ is filled with so many killer guitar riffs and this one always stood out to me. It always felt like this would be a great festival song. Great tempo combined with a nice, slow down vocally, in the chorus. Then repeat. The song has a great groove to it.
07. Roses – It’s that guitar riff and those vocal notes in lines like – “If you want to be my best friend, then show it” that keeps me coming back again and again.
06. Send A Message – The intro. The verses. The chorus. It’s all so good. But that little bit after the choruses – “I’m the reason why the colors of your eyes have gone.” One of my favorite moments from the band over their entire discography.
05. Take Me As I Am – I mentioned a good festival song. This one just feels like warm air and swaying back and forth to a great song. This is also one of my favorite songs lyrically from Emerson.
04. Casual Affair – Oh this song. It has it all. Adrenalin filled opening, melodic verses and one of my favorite choruses to sing along to. But the hook for me is that bitchin’ guitar riff. It’s perfection to my rock and roll ears.
03. Open Up Your Eyes – Not only one of my favorite Tonic songs but one of my favorite album opener’s. It’s such a fun ride watching this one build up. By the time we get to the chorus, Hart’s voice soars above the music. This is the song that introduced me to Tonic and I haven’t looked back since.
02. Precious Little Bird – For a quick second I had this at number one. I listened to both of these tracks a few times before making my final decision here. But it was close. ‘Precious Little Bird’ is such a gem. This one just cooks when it gets going. There’s a live video performance of the band at the Moondance Jam and when they went into this song, it was probably the biggest pop for me as a viewer. I wasn’t expecting it to be on the set list but was super happy it was. Between this song and the number one song on my list, I could (and have) listen to these two over and over. Speaking of which…
01. Mountain – Favorite song. Favorite harmony vocals in the catalog. When they released the Revisited acoustic 20 year anniversary of ‘Lemon Parade’, this is the first song I went to. It did not disappoint. This song has such a feel to it. Such a musical touch. It’s one that when heading out on a road trip, that I’ve put on through entire states. Driving down I-75 from Detroit to Atlanta. Through the mountains. It doesn’t get any better than that for me.
This was a much tougher list to put together than I anticipated. I hated leaving songs like Lemon Parade, Liar, Release Me, Thick, You Wanted More and Open Up Your Eyes off of it. Heck even the new song, To Be Loved could be on the list the next time I think about it. I’ve been listening to it that much.
That’s the great thing about Tonic. Their whole catalog is so listenable. Any of their songs could end up on someone’s personal fave list and it would be hard to argue with any of the choices. If you are looking for a visual to go along with these songs, I recommended the Moondance Jam. It’s on YouTube and I probably watch that thing once a month. It’s a great set.
While the band lists as a 3-piece officially with drummers coming and going like their name was Spinal Tap, I’ve always loved the drums on every record (and live for that matter). Especially on their 2010 self titled release. In my opinion, sonically that’s the best the band has ever sounded. I would put that album up against almost anything in terms of its sonics. It sings perfectly through my studio monitors like few records do. I could do a whole article on just the sound of that record.
This is my current top ten. And I’m really hoping that the band releases a new album to go along with ‘To Be Loved’ soon (I’m looking at you, Emerson) so I can struggle even more with a new top ten.
-Tommy Marz
You can find Tommy on Twitter
Emerson Hart – Jeff Russo – Dan Lavery
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