Charlie Robison, “Reconsider”

While I’m always interested in learning the story behind a song, I generally insist that a song must be able to stand on its own without the support of a back story to prop it up. In that vein, I typically balk against unconfirmed assertions regarding motivations for a song as a justification for the song’s existence. With that said, it would be remiss of me to deny that a confirmed story behind a song often positively helps to inform an artist’s performance of the said song.

Therefore, it’s not farfetched to assume that Charlie Robison’s fairly recent divorce from Dixie Chick, Emily Robison, has had a tangible effect on the maudlin “Reconsider”, which was recorded in the aftermath of the highly publicized 2008 divorce. While Robison did not write the song, his emotion is palpable enough to make us forget such a technical detail.

In “Reconsider”, which will be available on his June 23rd release of Beautiful Day, Robison beseeches, “If I tried, would you reconsider/Would you reconsider comin’ home/And if I cried/Would you reconsider/would you reconsider comin’ home? Instead of asking this question with hopefulness, however, his resigned resignation to the fact that he already knows the answer is clearly evident in his emotively subdued performance. To further his self loathing, he sadly observes, “I hate the way we folded, Baby/And was I ever good enough?”

With its simple melody and frugal production, this song is not destined to be a hit on mainstream country radio. It does, however, demonstrate the ability for raw, sincere emotion to successfully carry a song, which, in turn, heightens anticipation for an album that will undoubtedly provide insightfully intriguing songs as a result.

Written by Keith Gattison and Charles Brocco

Grade: A-

Listen: Charlie Robison, “Reconsider”