Single Reviews

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Single Review: Brad Paisley, "This is Country Music"

November 28, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 46

I don’t think there’s ever been a song that I’ve wished remained an instrumental as much as this one, as the gorgeous instrumentation, especially the fiddle, is the very best example of what the title claims.

But alas, our reigning Entertainer of the Year insists on tackling the title with lyrics, and it doesn’t end well. It doesn’t even begin well, with the ridiculous notion that country music is where you need to go to hear that Jesus is the answer, as it’s not afraid of rubbing folks the wrong way by saying so in a song. Michael W. Smith and countless Winans have made a career out of doing so without ever recording a country song.

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Single Review: Kenny Chesney, “Somewhere With You”

November 20, 2010 Tara Seetharam 20

Following in the footsteps of Taylor Swift’s “Mine” and Tim McGraw’s “Felt Good On My Lips,” Kenny Chesney’s latest single sheds its country coat for, in his case, a mellow, strictly-rock groove. Though it’s a little edgier than usual, “Somewhere With You” finds Chesney doing what he’s built half his career doing: brooding. And it all looks and sounds a little “haven’t I heard this before?”…until the chorus hits.

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Single Review: LeAnn Rimes, “Crazy Women”

November 11, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 17

Apparently wayward men make both honky tonk angels and crazy women, if LeAnn Rimes is to be believed.

This is a very cleverly written song, kicking off with the best opening line in recent memory: “Who’d have guessed that Aqua Net could start a fire with a single cigarette?”

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Single Review: Taylor Swift, “Back to December”

November 11, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 28

“It turns out freedom ain’t nothing but missing you.” So sings Taylor Swift on her new release, “Back to December.” It’s always a good sign when there’s a line as memorable as that one, the kind that lingers around in your head more than the song itself.

There isn’t another turn of phrase in the same league, but the rest of the song is pleasing enough. As usual, Swift is singing to a guy, but unlike most of her musical conversations with old flames, she lays the blame squarely on herself. I appreciate the restrained vocal, though a more varied melody would’ve made the chorus quite a bit more distinctive.

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Single Review: Gary Allan, “Kiss Me When I’m Down”

October 31, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 8

When you build a song around what is essentially a pun, you have to do one of two things. Either sell the pun so well that it overcomes its inherent corniness, or build such a strong song around it that the pun doesn’t make a lasting impact.

“Kiss Me When I’m Down” tries to do both, and is mostly successful. Allan sings it so well that the focus is as much on the pain in his voice as it is on the lyrics he’s singing. Plus, the title is used so infrequently that it can’t really diminish the song as a whole. But it doesn’t elevate it, either.

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Single Review: Gretchen Wilson, “I’ve Got Your Country Right Here”

October 31, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 10

Where, exactly?

Besides the fact that Wilson has once again turned out a country pride anthem in the vein of “Redneck Woman”, she name drops several legends of Southern Rock while appropriating their style for her own.

Gretchen, I’ll give you a pass on Hank Jr. and Charlie Daniels, even though you sang about both of them on your first hit. But come on, the Allman Brothers Band? ZZ Top? Are you kidding?

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Single Review: Easton Corbin, “I Can’t Love You Back”

October 31, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 5

Any song that starts with a guitar melody so eerily reminiscent of Rosanne Cash’s “Blue Moon With Heartache” is going to reel me in right away. Throw in an understated production that recalls early Alan Jackson, and the fact that Corbin is an actual country singer instead of just a country personality, and things get even better.

The song is beautiful. Really, really beautiful. Like so many great country ballads, someone who’s been left alone because a relationship failed can relate to it just as well as someone who has been left alone because they’re a widow. On the verses, Corbin sounds so good that he could’ve sent this to radio in 1992 and stood tall among the Mark Chesnutts and Collin Rayes of that time.

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Single Review: Blake Shelton, “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking”

October 31, 2010 Kevin John Coyne 7

I’m not going to argue with quiet, since so much of country radio these days is way too loud.

So yes, “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking” is laid back, almost too laid back. It certainly would be a snoozer with a lesser vocalist. But Blake Shelton demonstrates why he’s finally in the Male Vocalist race with the nuances that he brings to a song that could’ve been too dull or too leery in the wrong hands.

I like the creativity of some of the questions here, most especially when he wonders if she paints her toes because she bites her nails. I had to think about that one for a few seconds, but it made me crack a smile.

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Single Review: Luke Bryan, “Someone Else Calling You Baby”

October 13, 2010 Dan Milliken 20

I so wish the web had video of the acoustic performance of this song from GAC’s Origins: Luke Bryan. I caught it on TV a few weeks ago and thought, “this guy actually has something.” If I could embed that performance here, I think you’d probably agree.

The song is basically a demand for a clean break-up, so you can guess the scenario. She asked for time apart, he granted it, now hints are floating around that she’s found someone else.

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