While the 18 tracks feature, alternately, a catchy melody paired with good harmony ("Uncle Darden"), emotive words ("Some of My Blues"), a righteous romp ("Don't Blame It on Tequila") or some good ol'-fashioned chickin-pickin' gee-tar ("If You're Thinkin'"), there's little that really stands out. You know it's country because it sounds like country -- there's the fiddle and pedal steel guitar -- but it doesn't always feel right. The solo vocal turns of Cooley and Ku aren't notated on their tracks, but they can be summed up as such: One has a voice like Robert Earl Keen, and one doesn't; neither sounds too emotional about the proceedings. Even the two numbers in Spanish just sound grasping.
Are we being too harsh? Maybe. Perhaps with a few more listens we might have found Making Hey a pleasant, if unmemorable, experience. But the overall sound is simply bland in comparison with many other acts vying for y'all's dollars. Call it damning with faint praise. If they're making hay, then it must be full of empty calories, designed for the Wal-Mart crowd instead of the folks at the rural feed store.
