After narrowly missing the Top 10 with “The Wind,” Zac Brown Band returns to the summit of the country charts with “Goodbye In Her Eyes” – a release which fortunately shows the band able to get back into the good graces of country radio without stooping to compromise
or pandering.
“Goodbye In Her Eyes” is a simple, but undeniably effective rumination on an impending breakup. The title hook is straightforward, yet memorable. The arrangement is crisp, uncluttered, and best of all, in fine service to the song, creating a sense of foreboding that mirrors the narrator’s own approaching heartbreak. Brown’s vocal delivery exudes sincerity while staying out of the way of the lyric. Though the song comes to a dramatic crescendo near the end, it feels not like needless melodrama, but rather like a release of the tension that’s been mounting up to that point.
A competent performance of a well-crafted song, “Goodbye In Her Eyes” serves as a reminder that even amid the general banality of mainstream country music, sincerity and creativity can still be found even in a core radio act with a pair of platinum albums under the belt. “Goodbye In Her Eyes” thus maintains Zac Brown Band’s standing as one of the few champions of quality on the FM country radio dial.
Written by Zac Brown, Wyatt Durrette, John Driskell Hopkins, and Sonia Leigh
Grade: A-
An “A-” is exactly what I’d give this song.
That is some fine production.
competent review of a well crafted song – another winner from ZBB and CU.
…i still remember dan’s somewhat less than enthusiastic review of “chicken fried”, their slightly pandering ode to the simple “truths of rural life and sentiments” that eventually became their incredibly catchy radio-career kick off not so long ago.
since then, there has been no looking back for this most talented and innovative band, whose albums are among the best that country music has ever come up with. any wonder that this is another good song from them – not really.
^ Word. I’m glad that “Chicken Fried” has proven to be their weakest single (well, except for the kinda boring “No Hurry”); as we stand now, I suspect I could go to a ZBB show and enjoy myself pretty well as long as I used that song as my bathroom break.
The harmonies are stellar.
Other than that, this song does nothing for me. I’ve found ZBB’s past few singles to be really overrated, myself.
I agree about the ‘A-‘ rating. It’s a great song and the band’s harmonies are better than ever. Probably adding another member in this Uncaged era made their sound richer without going overboard. This song is my favorite ZBB single since “As She’s Walking Away” and “Colder Weather.” I guess I love ZBB more when they do lower songs. They seem more sincere and Zac Brown’s great vocals are allowed to shine.
^ *slower songs
I strongly agree with this review! Great job as always, Ben! =)
*
To my ears, this is strikingly reminiscent of their previous gem “Highway 20 Ride”, albeit more ambitious in its musicianship and textural touch-ups, but doing so in a way where the simplicity of its sincere lyrics are not drowned out and doesn’t become a bloated listening experience.
I wasn’t afraid that the fact “The Wind” fell short of the Top Ten was a sign that the band had fallen out of favor with radio, or that it would be regarded as a referendum on them. I was pretty confident that would prove to be the exception to the rule, and they would quickly rebound to the top of the charts especially after netting their strongest opening week of sales yet with “Uncaged”……….which they have indeed.
Still, it’s great to see a track as organic and acoustically-driven as “Goodbye In Her Eyes” top the chart in this day in age, dominated by overly-compressed audio and Air Supply-esque guitars.
My money is on “Jump Right In” being its follow-up, and that should ensure their continued chart-topping clout on the airwaves.