Montgomery Gentry slows things down with their new single, “Roll With Me.” Instead of trading lines, Troy Gentry sings lead while Eddie Montgomery provides particularly appealing harmony vocals to a rather pleasant sounding melody.
Regrettably, this is where the praise must end. The song is riddled with clichés and nonsensical lines that will likely force the listener to viscerally cringe to think that such lyrics have been passed off as a viable song.
“Roll With Me” is from the perspective of a man who has realized that he should more fully appreciate life, which is expressed with the overt cliché of “Wake up in the morning/Get to living my life/Making sure that I’m all that I can be…”
As a result of his new found peace, he presumably feels that it’s time for his significant other to settle down with him, which he conveys by singing, “…I’m Thinking it’s time to be livin’ the rhyme/When I’m singing a song about nothing but right/And it’d sure be nice if you would roll with me.”
Perhaps I don’t know how the kids are talking these days, but these lyrics just aren’t working for me.
Written by Clint Daniels & Tommy Karlas
Grade: C
Listen: Roll With Me
Buy: Roll With Me
I agree that the song doesn’t really make much sense, although I sort of like the harmonies. It throws me off a little for Troy to be singing in his low-register the entire time … is that really Eddie doing the high-pitched harmonies?? I don’t think he’s ever sung that high on records.
I know what you mean, Stephen! I thought the same thing. I’ve never heard Troy so reserved or low either. Likewise, I’m not entirely sure it’s Eddie either. I assume it is though, since they normally seem to back each other up.
Theres one in every crowd should have been the next single. This song is alright, but nothing special.
I reviewed some of the press for the album and it appears that Five For Fighting’s John Ondrasik lent his vocals to “Roll With Me,” so I would imagine that’s him you’re hearing on the high harmonies.
Hmmm…interesting. What did they do with Teddie? Did he get a day off? I wonder how they’ll do it live? I thought the harmony sounded especially good…
This song is amazing! I love everything about it. The melody is incredible, and the lyrics are smart and insightful. I can’t think of a more universal topic – how to find happiness in this moment because it might be all we ever have. Great job guys.
Oops, I meant Eddie, not Teddy. I always make that mistake.
I think I’d like the song better if I knew what “living the rhyme” and “singing a song about nothin’ but right” meant.
I disagree with you. Of course, I guess you need to be a true country person to appreciate the song. All you city slickers probably don’t care for living the country lifestyle. I love this song, haven’t you ever heard “songs about me” by Trace Adkins? Its true with most country songs, they are songs about me, and “Roll with me” is a song that is about most country people’s lives, but you most likely not being country, wouldn’t understand that.
Okay, so they say things like “roll withh me” in the country? This is something I did not know. I thought that was more of a “city” thing or an outdated rap thing…not a country thing.
Haha, lady you sure wanna be a one-upper. “Roll” in the country had different meanings we use “roll back prices” as reducing “Roll up” as arriving. Hell this is the most COUNTRY thing in the world “ROLL in the hay” and that don’t mean just rolling around quite literally. We also so “roll with the punches” which means cope with, go along with whatever happens. I think this one is implying “go” or “go along” like “hey man let’s roll out,” “roll from town to town” or “I gotta roll.” But anyways, besides that, what I was implying about the song is that when he woke up and decided to get his life straightened out what so wrong about settling down with someone, and living right, going to church and all that? That is the simple life of a lot of country folks.
I’m sorry if it seems that I’m trying to one up you. I was merely trying to defend my position.
I realize that the word “roll” is used in the “country” vernacular, but not in this way. I also know what “roll with me” means, but I’m used to hearing it in rap songs, not country songs. So, to me, it doesn’t sound natural coming from almost fifty year old country singers. One of the things that convinces me about a song is its believability to me. It’s perfectly fine with me that you like this song, it just doesn’t work for me.
By the way, I have no problem with songs that paint a nice “country” picture. I really like Craig Morgan’s “That’s What I Love About Sunday”, which is as “country” as it gets, as far as imagery goes.
hey lady,
believe it or not but there’s still some serious “rolling” going on after forty.:)
Tom,
What kind of rolling might you be talking about, Sir?:)
Thank you to those who defend this song. And thank you to those who don’t. But the people who like it describe it to mean just exactly what the writer intended. You know how I know?……I wrote it.
Tommy, thank you for writing a song that really speaks to me. Sometimes life gets us going so fast that it’s easy to forget the things that really matter, and how sometimes it’s better to just slow down and focus on those things. And to have your significant other/family/friend do the same and enjoy the journey with you…that’s what “roll with me” means.
It’s true the lyrics aren’t anything poetic (or even all that meaningful), but I love the totally unique sound (for M-G, anyway). Troy Gentry has a really versatile and supple voice, which he’s only recently begun to exercise. This ventures into a real “singer-songwriter” kind of territory, and while I don’t see them doing this kind of thing often, it makes a nice change of pace.
Yup, I do think it sounds good.
I was NOT a country fan at ALL for most of my life. Partially cost me a good marriage (not being open to her ideas of good music, being an @$$ about it, etc.). Then, scrolling through songs on Sirius one day, I ran across Roll With Me.
All I can say is for the naysayers out there, this song was written / spoken to me. I took a motorcycle into a wall (throttle stuck wide open on the freeway) at 130 mph a few months ago. I was never one of those idiots that drove fast, stopped riding regular when helmet laws came into effect (but was wearing one that day, magically), didn’t have leathers on, motocross helmet on the freeway, etc. Should have died that day, but magically an ambulance SAW the accident happen, as they where a few hundred yards behind me. Thrown off the wall and slung 500 feet down the freeway, all I can say is I’m lucky to be alive.
Yes, this song is somewhat broken up, the lyrics don’t make a whole lot of sense to the masses, but rest assured, after hearing it, I realize it’s time to stop taking any risks I don’t NEED to (I have 3 kids, boys all under 5), it’s time to change a few things in my life, and hey, what the heck, it’s going to be for the better.
Oh yeah, called up the country loving ex wife, and we have been talking nightly for the last 2 weeks. Nice to have my friend back, the mother of 2 of my kids. Nobody knows where it might lead (after combined 80K dollars in attorney fees, 2 yrs of a HATEFUL divorce, etc), but at least we are friendly, I’ve decided to make the life-changing decisions I’ve needed to for a few years, and life IS better after hearing this song.
So, thanks, MG and the original songwriter / however the song came to be. You made a difference in 1 persons life with your song, and it’s trickling down to the rest of the people in my life, my children’s lives, and on down the road. If, just for that reason, this is and was a song that needed to be written, sung, and listened to……. At least for and by me.
–Shane
Shane,
Thank you for sharing your story! It’s awesome that this song helped you change some negative things in your life. Music is very powerful, as Kevin discusses in his “The Coping Power Of Music” article.
I think I’d like the song better if I knew what “living the rhyme” and “singing a song about nothin’ but right” meant.
Leeann,
I took it to mean he was tired of putting up fake aires, singing a song about doing the right thing, but not necessarily LIVING the right way (doing as I say, not as I do, might be a perspective to look at it as).
Living the rhyme I took to mean more about living in harmony and balance with the rest of the world… If you try to live you life in harmony with everyone else, I have found, you get a lot farther in life. Living out of harmony, well, hasn’t been the best experience :)
Thanks for the kind words… It’s a great song, and I thank MG and the writers for coming up with something that changed my life, mind, and heart.
–Shane
Shane,
Great interpretations! I’ll think of it that way from now on. I really liked the melody and I thought MG really sounded good, along with the lead singer from Five For Fighting (though I didn’t know it at the time of the review).
Shane,
The song *has* grown on me some. I’d probably give the song a B if I were reviewing it today. I still have a couple of problems with the lyrics (“Be all that I can be”, etc.), but I enjoy hearing it as well.
This won’t be the first time I’ve changed my mind.:)