Julianne Hough danced her way into the Top 20 with her first single, “That Song in My Head,” and she returns to action with the follow-up, “My Hallelujah Song.” It’s another in long line of country radio tunes designed to make listeners appreciate the important things in life. She’s thankful for the “angels helping (her) all along” and the peace that comes with believing that loving life will lead to love in her life.
Hough’s intentions are good, no question, but the material on her first album is fairly pedestrian and her voice is rather run-of-the mill. The trend continues on “My Hallelujah Song.” It’s awfully cliché-ridden (“Life is more than just the breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away” is knee-deep in Hallmark territory) and we are given no idea of any personal struggles this young woman experiences that she has now risen above. We also don’t know what has caused her recent upturn in fortunes. While there’s really no fault in having a sunny disposition, it also stands to reason that her happy nature would have some foundation.
The arrangement is rather stripped-down in the beginning, and is actually attractive throughout, never trying to do too much. But this power-of-positive-thinking song rarely rises above the fluff of today’s mainstream country music due to its glaring omission of honest-to-goodness detail.
Grade: C-
Listen: My Hallelujah Song
Buy: My Hallelujah Song
I really can’t think of anyone who is more bland of a singer with songs to match.
The quote of “Life is more than just the breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away” reminds me of Ron White talking about De beers’s slogan: said in a soft lilting voice, “Diamonds, take her breath away” and then Ron says in his snarky tone” “Dimands: That’ll shut her up…for a minute…”
Anyway good review, Blake. I like the general melody of the song more than the actual lyric of the song. That was enough for me to peg this song as the 2nd single when I wrote about it months ago.
I’m afraid this song did nothing to retain my attention an a trivial thought came into my head.
Unusual, but I expect not unique, for an artist’s first 2 singles to have the same word in the title; “That song in my Head” and now this.
I meant more bland of a singer today, not necessarily in the entire history of music, by the way.
I really like Julianne, but this is one of the weakest tracks from her CD.
I got this song as a free single of the week for Itunes and that’s pretty much the only reason I have it. It sounded relatively decent at the start, but after hearing it a few times, I find this song annoying as hell. I still have it though for some reason.
this was a very poor choice.
i LOOOVE julianne’s album, but this is one of the weakest, most cheesiest songs on the cd.
i think her songs “about life” or especially “hello” would have done a LOT better.
this song beats any white line as an indication of where the middle of the road is.