“Love is Your Name”
Steven Tyler”
Written by Lindsey Lee and Eric Paslay
When word came out that Tyler was releasing a country album, the first thing that came to mind — at least in my mind — was “cash grab.” After all, rock & roll is more endangered than the rhinoceros, and pop has become the playground for young hip-hop and EDM influenced singers. Where else is the 67-year-old frontman of Aerosmith going to get played on the radio?
Still, raise your hands if you saw this coming: Steven Tyler’s new country single actually has more “country” to it than 90% of the current crop of singles. “Love Is Your Name” isn’t just a good song from a country wannabe, it’s good. Written by Eric Paslay and Lindsey Lee, it’s a simple love song that evades the typical, superficial imagery in favor of heartfelt emotion. Imagine, lyrics that portray the depth of one’s love without a single reference to how tight the woman wears her jeans.
Tyler’s spent the last four decades or so wailing like a banshee with her hair on fire, so his voice is understandably rough around the edges at this point in his career. Still, the opening moments of the song are ably carried by little more than a fiddle (!) and Tyler’s vocals before it explodes into a full-blown Mumford & Sons-style anthem. Even as the electric guitars and drums increase in volume, it never becomes an Aerosmith album cut. “Love Is Your Name” isn’t a traditional tune by any means, but Tyler sounds at home in a contemporary country setting.
Country music’s evolution — or devolution, depending on your tastes — into pop music for singers with Southern accents has left the genre sounding increasingly monotonous and uninspired. Every once in a while, though, a pleasant surprise comes along that dares to sound completely different from the rest of the field. If “Love Is Your Name” is representative of the rest of Tyler’s country songs, his upcoming album may be a very interesting release.
Grade: B+
Listen Here: RS Country
It’s better than I expected it to be. A lot better. That said, I can’t give it more than a “C” grade. It’s just forgettable for me, it’s not a bad song, but by that same token it’s not a song I have an urge to listen to more than once. It’s solid radio filler in that sense, but I’m not sure it’s much more either.
It’s a B- or so for me. I definitely appreciate the sound of the record, and the song itself is well constructed, but I just don’t think this is the right song for Tyler. His voice isn’t melodic enough or smooth enough to sell it. Eric Paslay himself would have done better.
Like the song and the production. But, I agree with SRM…I’d prefer it if done by Paslay or another artist. Tyler’s voice just doesn’t really fit the song, and I’m not sure it fits the country music genre in general.
Still, that being said…if the rest of his album is built around songs like this, it might actually be listenable. It kind of begs the question…how much do you excuse a voice that might not being remotely technically proficient for country music if the songs are really good?
Well, the thing is, in a very twisted and maybe even downright perverse way, it may fit into the country genre as it stands now, because a lot of these hot country boys (primarily the “bros”) borrow, at least in part, from Tyler’s arena-rock style, and put in the barest amount of country instrumentation (IMHO).
psu guy: remotely technically proficient? Really?