“Baby Be My Love Song”
Easton Corbin
Written by Jim Collins and Brett James
Easton Corbin was a refreshing arrival at country radio when he first hit airwaves a half-decade ago, toeing the line between what was commercially viable and what was interesting with hits that brought some added warmth and personality to familiar radio tropes. He kicked off his career with an “I’m so country” song and a summer song that were both listenable and likable, even utilizing enough audible fiddle and steel for him to be tagged as a “traditionalist.” Since then he’s scored a string of radio hits with material that has been enjoyable, but not especially challenging or compelling. Is the best yet to come?
“Baby Be My Love Song” is the second single from Corbin’s upcoming third album It’s About to Get Real, and sadly, neither it nor its predecessor “Clockwork” inspire much hope that that album will deliver on its title’s promise. “Baby Be My Love Song” is exactly what its title leads one to expect – a typical, interchangeable country love song that serves little purpose except to hold an artist’s slot on the radio, and then be forgotten after the end of its chart run.
It’s unfortunately telling that the song includes the line “It don’t have to make sense and it don’t have to rhyme.” It rhymes all right, but it makes little actual sense, with its chorus of “Baby, be my love song, baby, be my all night long, be the buzz in my Dixie cup, steady rocking ‘til the sun comes up” likely to inspire little more than an eye roll from the discerning listener.
Carson Chamberlain’s typically-solid production here largely eschews the country genre signifiers that were once Corbin’s calling card at radio, save for an occasional steel guitar fill. While more listenable than the typical 2014 country radio hit, the arrangement and performance remain uninspiring overall, failing to elevate the forgettable lyrics.
“Baby Be My Love Song” may or may not get Corbin back into heavy radio rotation after the underwhelming performance of “Clockwork”, but it remains disheartening to see Corbin’s music heading on a downward slope with the potential he’s shown. For him to lose the qualities that made him stand out in the first place, or to fall off of our radar altogether, would be a shame indeed.
Grade: C
Welcome back Ben. I have to agree with your “listenable” but “forgettable” analysis.
I like this a little better than you do (C+, grading on a curve) but he’s capable of much more
Thanks, Bob. It’s good to be reviewing again!
Nice to see ya back Ben. While this certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it is pretty enjoyable. I’d give it a solid ‘B’ probably.
…easton corbin’s biggest strength, his smooth delivery, gets almost completely lost in this bore. it’s not bad enough to kill the joy of an elevator ride to the 63rd floor, but neither good enough to press the “0” button immediately upon arrival in order not to miss the end of it.
Call me crazy, but I actually liked “Clockwork.” We may have had one of the few radio stations (in my market at least) that played it in semi-heavy rotation however, but I thought it was at least cleverly phrased and Corbin sounded just fine on the track. I’ve liked most of his stuff, but would probably consider “Baby Be My Love Song” his weakest single to date, which is disappointing.
Love this song, but I may be biased because I cling to artists like Corbin who still sound somewhat like the country music I like. While I’m not in any way comparing him to a level of George Strait, I will say that Strait has attained an unmatchable career out of releasing easy, breazy country diddys like this. Not every radio song needs to be deep and soul searching.
I agree with Mike J in that I actually quite liked “Clockwork.” I review tracks for Mediabase and have heard several tracks from Corbin’s upcoming album and luckily there are some good songs. The title track “It’s About to Get Real” was pretty good if I remember correctly.
Unfortunately, this single does very little for me. I’d give it a low B-.
Still better than “God Made Girls,” which is the most upsetting thing I have ever heard.