“Don’t It”
Billy Currington
Written by Ross Copperman, Ashley Gorley, and Jaren Johnston
We’ve reached a point where Billy Currington can release a “Hey girl, let’s get down tonight” anthem and sound like an elder statesman of country music.
That’s more a reflection of his younger colleagues than any artistic growth on Currington’s part. He could’ve released this same song on his debut album and it wouldn’t sound out of place.
He’s just got a great voice and clever delivery, so he doesn’t sound like a hack that’s phoning it in, even if that is pretty much exactly what he’s doing this time out.
Grade: C
Disappointing. The last BC song I liked is “People Are Crazy” (Bobby Braddock & Troy Jones).
While I wish Billy Currington would go back to his more traditional, I honestly don’t mind this song for some reason. Maybe part of it is at this point I expect so little from Currington in terms of substance in his songs or it’s his still solid delivery, but I like this song a lot more than I liked any of the songs from his last album even though they are still in the same vein.
As a “earworm” and guilty pleasure I would give it a B grade, but I’m probably being overly generous with that grade.
I’m going to be a little generous and give this a C+ for the following reason.
There’s not a single aspect of this track that gets on my nerves. It’s mostly unremarkable all around, but it’s really saying something in this current climate when nothing about a song in this vein irritates me.
The production is probably my favorite aspect of this song. Nothing particularly remarkable, but it reminds me of John Mayer during his first two albums; that is, a mildly soulful, bluesy breed of Hot Adult Contemporary accessibility. That is a nice reprieve from the overly screechy bombast of his two previous singles and shouty vocal delivery which got on my nerves pretty fast. Currington sounds comparatively restrained and at ease here, and he sounds best when he’s at ease; complementing the groove well.
And the lyrics……………..well, obviously nothing to write home about. But they don’t bother me either. This is a song pretty much clinically designed for radio sing-alongs and karaoke jukeboxes alike, and not of the toxic “That’s My Kind of Night” or “This Is How We Roll” variety. It’s basically just a laundry list of fun things a couple can do on a weekend evening.
So, you know, this is passable to my ears. Pretty much the synonym of Thumbs Sideways. But in this climate, that’s almost a backhanded compliment of sorts considering his two previous singles were annoying and most of his peers are churning out comparatively obnoxious and grating material.
Ugh! John Mayer is the cure for my insomnia! Good comparison though, which is why the production bores me on this song.
I keep hoping for more from Billy – this is a C+ but I’m grading on a curve and in the context of the current radio fodder. I don’t hate anything about this song and there are some appealing elements to the song