Single Reviews – Page 99 – Country Universe

Diamond Rio, “God is There”

July 22, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 10

I’ve never been a fan of Contemporary Christian music, mostly because of the bombastic arrangements. I like my religious songs Emmylou or Willie style, with organic production and, if I’m really lucky, a bit of struggle before the redemption.

So it was with great enthusiasm that I dove in to Diamond Rio’s “God is There.” I’ve always loved the sound of this band’s records, even when the material was slight. When the material was solid, like the back-porch bliss of “Meet in the Middle” or tongue-twisting charm of “How Your Love Makes Me Feel”, nothing sounded better.

“God is There” opens promisingly, with a sparse piano accompanying Marty Roe’s voice. It sounds so similar to their best single ever, “You’re Gone”, that it got my hopes up. The opening verse tells of a young girl struggling with an unplanned pregnancy, feeling abandoned and alone.

Billy Ray Cyrus, “A Good Day”

July 21, 2009 Tara Seetharam 5

It’s easy to lose sight of Billy Ray Cyrus the “artist” when 90% of his exposure of late has been alongside pop star Miley Cyrus – whose artistic credibility actually, surprisingly, sometimes surpasses his own. But when Cyrus taps into his core, with songs like “A Good Day,” he reminds us that he’s got a substantial amount of talent, particularly a strong, decent voice.

Dierks Bentley, “I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes”

July 20, 2009 Dan Milliken 5

Forgettable. Bentley had a very good come-on song in the frank “Come A Little Closer” a few years back; this one feels like a forced effort to recreate the magic. The writing is pleasant but dull, lacking the sexual urgency that made “Closer” come alive, and the vocal is uncharacteristically flat.

Not sure there’s much else to say, really. It’ll climb into the top five, bother me for awhile, then disappear. That’s the thing about playing it safe once you’re an established star: you might keep denting the charts, but you’ll cease to leave much of a dent in your audience.

Jake Owen, “Eight Second Ride”

July 19, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 9

A work of fantasy, where Owen meets a girl who is happy to not only tolerate all of his idiosyncrasies, but actively embrace them. He doesn’t have to do any of the heavy lifting here. She simply appears and wants to go with him because he’s a real country boy with large tires on his truck and a spit cup for his chew.

Usually, we hear a young guy with a thin voice singing a song like this with too much intensity, making an implausible situation sound completely impossible. But thankfully, Owen actually sounds like a guy who would have a big truck with a spit cup in it. His confident vocal betrays no eager excitement, just a cool and collected acceptance of the situation. Of course she wants to go with me, it says, and she’s welcome to do so, as long as she doesn’t get in the way of my spit cup.

Mark Chesnutt, “She Never Got Me Over You”

July 17, 2009 Tara Seetharam 11

Co-written but never released by the late Keith Whitley, “She Never Got Me Over You” is a tasteful, timeless slice of classic country. Chesnutt delivers a solid performance of the bare-bones ballad, effortlessly inhabiting the heartache as he sings of a broken relationship that he can’t seem to shake:

She almost had me where you have me
She almost did what you still do
She got me thinking straight again
But I don’t think she understands
She never got me over you.

It’s the purest form of country music – the kind of country ballad that moves the soul with untainted emotion and a simple, stirring melody. It’s also the kind of unassuming song that stands little chance of success in today’s mainstream country market, which is quite a shame, as “She Never Got Me Over You” is not only a breath of fresh air, but a beautiful tribute to Whitley.

Pat Green, “What I’m For”

July 17, 2009 Dan Milliken 3

I don’t think any artist this decade has frustrated me more than Pat Green. Here’s a man endowed of a wonderfully expressive voice, a solid songwriting gift, an army of adoring Texans, and what does he do with them? He hires Dann Huff to blare them out so he can score a few hits.

I guess you can’t fully blame him, on one hand. Green is a first-class performer of his type, worthy of the national audience he seeks, and in a just world, he would have gotten it back when he was still ripping into “Me and Billy the Kid.” And he probably knows that.

Jason Michael Carroll, “Hurry Home”

July 16, 2009 Leeann Ward 5

While Blake Shelton’s “Austin” is the quintessential song with an answering machine acting as the peacemaker/mediator in a broken relationship, Jason Michael Carroll’s “Hurry Home” is a surprising contender for another quality song with just such a hero. Except, this time, the relationship is between perseverant father and prodigal daughter. Although the conclusion is extremely predictable, the emotional payoff of a parent’s unconditional love is still quietly powerful.

Sarah Buxton, “Outside My Window”

July 15, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 8

How depressingly generic. Sarah Buxton has one of the most distinctive and interesting voices I’ve ever heard, but you’d never know it from listening to “Outside My Window.”

Here, she sounds like any one of the countless 21st century country acts who have to put all their effort into getting close enough to being on key for auto-tune to fix it. There are layers of backing instruments and vocalists crowding out her vocal so that it’s barely there.

Big Kenny, “Long After I’m Gone”

July 13, 2009 Kevin John Coyne 0

If you live your life only for yourself, all that you’ve lived for dies with you. If you live your life for others, your life’s work lives on long after you’re gone.

That’s the lesson Big Kenny is imparting on his new single, his first since breaking through to stardom as one half of Big & Rich. He may seem a bit young to be concerning himself with what his legacy will be, but he’s remarkably clear-eyed, reaching the conclusions that many others fail to reach until it’s too late, if they ever reach them at all.

It’s a message that could be preachy if told in the second person, but since it’s presented as self-revelation, the lesson can be learned by example rather than prodding.

Trace Adkins, “All I Ask For Anymore”

July 13, 2009 Dan Milliken 1

I was wary about reviewing this after hearing the gist, as I’ve become pretty sick of songs that remark on how awesome and fulfilling everyday life is. It’s not the theme itself that bothers me; it’s that most songs just gush about it, as though they have to really hype up the idea for you to buy in. It usually ends up sounding more defensive than celebratory, like an insecure person trying to brag – “What? All my friends just got raises? Well, I’ve got all I need, and it’s alright by me! I’m living in paradise! Yeah! So screw you guys!”

Not the case with “All I Ask For Anymore.” There is an understated, unassuming quality to this lyric that just makes it sound real, even as the verses cover a lot of well-trod ground. I suppose the key difference lies in the approach – he’s not straining to prove how great life with his wife and kids is; he’s just reflecting on how it’s changed him and leaving us to make our own judgments. Music for adults – nice.

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