Single Reviews
Single Review: Keith Urban, “Put You in a Song”
There’s no denying Keith Urban’s immense talent, which was brightly showcased on his first three major label albums, particularly Golden Road and Be Here. The music sounded articulate and fresh while being extremely accessible.
Urban’s last couple of albums, however, have been heavily influenced by electronic production where electric keyboards and drum machines largely filled the spaces instead of his prior muscular, yet more organic, production choices. Of course, this isn’t to say that there still weren’t some really good moments on both of those albums, as should only be expected by such a talented force, but they just seemed to lack the heart that was displayed on the previous two records.
Single Review: Zac Brown Band featuring Alan Jackson, “As She’s Walking Away”
Few mainstream singles this year have displayed the fine musicianship of “As She’s Walking Away,” the first single off the Zac Brown Band’s upcoming album, You Get What You Give. Sparsely produced, the song leaves ample breathing room for the equally gorgeous fiddle and full harmonies to make their respective impacts. More notably, the song is ripe with earnestness, from the sweet interplay between Brown and Jackson to the charming, honest performances. Even the energizing melody feels sincere.
Single Review: Mary Chapin Carpenter, “The Way I Feel”
A song about finding liberation on the open road shouldn’t put you in danger of falling asleep at the wheel.
I don’t know what’s going on with Mary Chapin Carptenter. She made my favorite album of all-time, Stones in the Road, and it wasn’t particularly upbeat. But the songs were amazingly good. I’m still learning new things from that album a full sixteen years after its release.
Single Review: Dierks Bentley, “Draw Me a Map”
This single review is written by Guest Contributor Jennifer Bernard.
“Draw Me a Map,” the second single from Up on the Ridge, contains lyrics which are cleverly evocative and packed with passion. The acoustic arrangement combined with the vocals of Dierks Bentley and Alison Krauss make for a soothing delivery of words that definitely dive below the surface. Specifically with lines such as “I’d beg forgiveness but I don’t know where to start” and “I’ve never been so at loss, I’m at a canyon I can’t get around or cross,” you can truly feel the anxiety and hopelessness that Bentley illustrates.
Single Review: Sara Evans, “A Little Bit Stronger”
This isn’t very good.
Perhaps it could have been, with a stronger melody and a more refined concept. The song itself is pretty good, but Evans turns in a listless performance, delegating all of the “oomph” to the background vocalists and studio musicians. And they’re pretty listless in their own right.
Single Reviews: James Otto, “Soldiers and Jesus”; Due West, “The Bible and the Belt”
I’m getting tired of the dime store theology in country music today. It’s officially reached pandemic proportions.
Up for airplay are two new singles in which religion is just a decorative prop used to elevate a human role to something divine. Instead of achieving that impossible goal, all they do is cheapen the divine into something that is only human.
Single Review: Carrie Underwood, "Mama's Song"
Love ain’t no fairytale.
The latest single from Carrie Underwood knows and embraces this. I can’t remember another wedding song that is so understated in its declarations. As she prepares to marry, she reassures her mother that this man is good. That’s pretty much it.
Pretty much it on paper, at least. But notice how the term is repeated – “He is good, so good.” Underwood chooses to emphasize those five words more than any others in the song, singing them as if just being good is enough to qualm a worried mother’s fears for her daughter’s future.
Single Review: Toby Keith, “Trailerhood”
Most of us can admit that Toby Keith is a premier balladeer. Something that has been largely forgotten about him in the last few years, however, is that he’s also rather good at having good fun too. Lately, he’s mostly associated with swagger and subpar music (with the exception of some decent ballads here and there), but “Trailerhood” is here to remind us of how jovial Keith can sound when he lets his boisterous guard down and just allows himself to have some fun.
Single Review: Jamey Johnson, "Playing the Part"
Country boy, you got your feet in L.A. Again.
The country boy as fish out of the water in Los Angeles. Or New York. Or Detroit. It’s a pretty common theme in country music. Jamey Johnson does his own spin on this theme with his new single, “Playing the Part.” It’s not terribly bad, but it’s not terribly good, either. “Big City” certainly doesn’t have to worry about losing its slot on the Waffle House Jukebox.