Single Reviews – Page 101 – Country Universe

Toby Keith, “American Ride”

July 10, 2009 Dan Milliken 111

The intro could pass for a Hamster Dance rendering of Reba’s “Strange.” The verses rattle off about tidal waves at the Mexican border and impressionable kids on “the YouTube.” And the chorus – the chorus is like that song from Team America (you know the one – “America, [Shucks] Yeah!”) cross-bred with the soundtrack of one of those overcooked Super Bowl car commercials where you don’t know it’s a car commercial at first, but then the car comes out and climbs over a mountain or something and you’re like, “oh, all that for a friggin’ car commercial!”

Yeah. But seriously, what else can you say about a song like this? There was a time when the sheer audacity would surprise me, but coming from late-00’s Toby, it just seems like one more cog in a big wheel of Ridiculous. And maybe that’s kind of on purpose?

Keith Urban, “Only You Can Love Me This Way”

July 9, 2009 Tara Seetharam 24

It’s been a long time since radio’s heard Keith Urban pour his heart into a ballad, and for all the splashy fun that came with his past few singles, it’s nice to hear him simply emote again. “Only You Can Love Me This Way” is a refreshingly stripped-down track that doesn’t consist of much beyond a simple melody, gentle guitar, and Urban’s tender vocals – raw with emotion and remarkably skillful in delivery.

Zac Brown Band, “Toes”

July 9, 2009 Leeann Ward 2

At this point, it’s admittedly not original to compare The Zac Brown Band’s island flavored “Toes” to Kenny Chesney’s multiple attempts at tackling such sounds and themes. Likewise, it has not been original for awhile to compare Chesney to the iconic Jimmy Buffett who has clearly been one of Chesney’s musical influences over the past decade. Still, it seems just about impossible to avoid making such obvious comparisons.

So, where does “Toes” rank on the Chesney-Buffett continuum? Zac Brown and his crew have assembled a song worthy of the Buffett catalog, therefore, surpassing any beach themed song that Chesney has offered us thus far. While they freely give us “a** in the sand”, Chesney can only muster “a big ol’ pile of shift work” at this point.

Rascal Flatts, “Summer Nights”

July 8, 2009 Tara Seetharam 14

Let’s have the lyrics speak for themselves:

Now fellas, you better watch your step
Don’t let them teeny French bikinis
Make you lose your breath
Back to the ladies
Y’all keep doing y’all’s thing
‘Cause everything about you
Makes me wanna scream

Brad Paisley, “Welcome to the Future”

July 7, 2009 Tara Seetharam 9

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Paisley said about his newest single: “It’s really rare that you feel musically that something you do is more important than just entertainment. And I feel like this song is maybe more important than just entertainment.”

This statement will be met with many a raised eyebrow, and understandably so, as it comes from the artist who previously breathed musical life into ticks, alcohol and MySpace. But interestingly, it’s the same intuitive, sharply clever perspective behind Paisley’s novelty songs that allows him to so tastefully tackle the socially-conscious “Welcome to the Future” – a solid, moving track that is both musically and, as Paisley said, thematically relevant.

Sugarland, “Joey”

July 7, 2009 Dan Milliken 16

Thought: being Jennifer Nettles allows you to get away with a lot of things that would wreck lesser singers. Her co-write “Joey” is certainly one of the more interesting songs getting shipped to country radio this year, with its drunk-driving scenario and unique “what if” narrative, but it’s also a bit of a mess, with verses that promise much and a chorus that delivers practically nothing – lyrically, emotionally, even melodically. Coming from a less soulful voice box, you know the thing would never float.

Lucky for Sugarland, Nettles’ surging performance manages to keep the track chugging along for longer than it probably deserves to, offering some interesting moments amid all the more underwhelming ones. With her in tow, plus a nice arrangement reminiscent of Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May”, even the song’s hiccups manage to sound like something worth hearing.

Eli Young Band, “Radio Waves”

July 6, 2009 Dan Milliken 1

Eli Young Band’s latest sounds like a hit from top to bottom, with crisp pop-rock production, likable vocals, and a brisk tempo that allows the song to breeze by pleasantly, even as the chorus just misses its intended melodic mark.

As I’ve said before, they’re basically just playing Rascal Flatts’ game with a little less drama, and the result here is pretty enjoyable, the kind of musical comfort food you expect from summer radio when it’s behaved.

Brooks & Dunn, “Indian Summer”

July 5, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 3

The unintended consequences of requited love. Such is the story told by a sympathetic narrator about a young woman who has to leave town after the consummation of her love for the high school football hero. Ronnie Dunn gives a nuanced performance of an interesting story song, revealing toward the end that he isn’t quite the impartial narrator that he appeared.

The arrangement is reminiscent of the Eagles at their Henley-best, with the only thing holding back the track being that Dunn’s sincerity isn’t matched by his enunciation. It’s often difficult to make out the details of the verses, which makes following the storyline more of a task than it should be.

Tim McGraw, “It’s a Business Doing Pleasure With You”

July 4, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 11

Tim McGraw sounds fresh and rejuvenated on “It’s a Business Doing Pleasure With You”, an energetic and quite cleverly written song about a man who is going into debt trying to underwrite his woman’s material desires.

“You’ve got more purses than Versace, more rings than Liberace”, McGraw wails, with tongue firmly planted in cheek. McGraw’s always been a great example of how you don’t need to be a powerful vocalist with a multi-octave range to effectively deliver a great performance. He mixes up a perfect balance of frustrated annoyance and helpless infatuation, all while keeping pace with a complicated lyric that features far more brand names than it does common nouns and verbs.

Trailer Choir, “Rockin’ the Beer Gut”

July 3, 2009 Leeann Ward 8

“Rockin’ the Beer Gut” is a somewhat intriguing, but mostly, repulsive title and theme for a song. While I’m all for singing for the working class, I can’t say this aspect of it needed much coverage in a country song or any song for that matter.

A song like this at least needs a catchy melody, unique production or riveting lyrics. Instead, the melody and production are painfully predictable and the lyrics are inane with no redemptive cleverness (which not so coincidentally name check’s the group’s label boss, Toby Keith).

If I felt like stretching, I could credit Trailer Choir for embracing women who aren’t afraid to rock their “beer guts” and wax philosophical about society’s unreasonable body image expectations, but I’m just not feeling quite so generous today. Furthermore, I don’t quite believe this song is the one to get the discussion rolling.

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