“Raise ‘Em Up”
Keith Urban with Eric Church
Written by Tom Douglas, Jaren Johnston and Jeffrey Steele
A collaboration between Keith Urban and Eric Church was bound to have personality and charm, but what the two gentlemen pull off the best is a sense of breezy confidence. None of the bombast that usually occurs when superstars collide is evident here, as it was on “We Were Us.”
That being said, the song itself is a middling effort. I think that my biggest issue is that Urban’s delivery of the verses directly lifts the melody from his earlier hit, “Somebody Like You.” My ears couldn’t get past that.
I wouldn’t turn the radio off if this came on, but I’d be able to keep doing whatever I was already doing without being distracted.
Grade: B-
I understand that I should be underwhelmed by this, but, man alive, I love this song. I think it’s a testament to Church and Urban’s talent that I believe everything single word, no matter utterly cliche this song is, and I also really appreciate how understated the production is. And then when they go into those “whoa-oh”s at end (which I know you hate, Kevin), I feel like they tap into something special.
Maybe it’s just my not-so-inner Keith Urban fanboy talking.
Absolutely agree with the “Somebody Like You” reference. First thing I heard in it. That said, I still feel like it’s the best thing Urban’s been involved with since Golden Road….
I’m a huge Keith Urban fan and I just don’t hear anything in this song that reminds me of SLY! Keith’s voice in this song is so smooth and good and REU brings a tear to my eye each time I hear it. They sang it at CRS just recently and did an awesome job and got a standing ovation. An A from me, of course.
Whoa!! The first couple of lines of the chorus really do sound, just about note for note, like “Somebody Like You”! I like the song though. It’s the best song Urban has released in a very long time.
Good song – but I didn’t notice any similarity to SLU.
One of my younger friends was raving about this song being the best single either Church or Urban has released in ages. I’m not a big fan of either artist, but I can see (hear) what caught her attention, They sing well together and the production stays out of the way of the singers
This song is somewhere in the vicinity of a B+ or A-
“I wouldn’t turn the radio off if this came on, but I’d be able to keep doing whatever I was already doing without being distracted.”
WOAH best sentence I’ve seen in a review in quite some time. I think this so accurately sums up how a lot of people are feeling about country music these days.