.99 Review
Tim McGraw
"Southern Voice"
The People's Take
ok song (3 Stars) – I watch tim on thursday night football
-by Kylie Jo 1
Tim remains true to his roots with "Southern Voice" (5 stars) – Swiftly after the marginally charted "It's a Business Doing Pleasure With You", McGraw has released another single that will be a radio smash. "Southern Voice", a song that credits several historical and modern legends for their contributions to the "southern voice", is a twangy number that will force the listener to sing or hum along everytime it plays. McGraw's vocal performance in this song are, as he puts in the song, "smooth", and along with that, the honky-tonk instrumental aid simply adds to the overall "fun" that this sing-along single will promote.
-by Agent Ashcroft
My Take
I was hoping to give this a positive review. I actually enjoy a lot of Tim's music (a lot more than I should admit as a commercial country music farcer and a big alt-country fan) so I'm rooting for a comeback despite his recent song choice foibles and record company troubles. Also, I have a southern superiority complex - at least culturally and athletically - so I never tire of new pandering country hits to fuel my yeehaw. I even liked Buddy Jewell's hymn to the south - not the one about the southern border, mind you.
Some of the parts of "Southern Voice" are nice but the sum of the parts is meh. Trouble with this one is the overall presentation. Par for the country course, it's a listing song - listing people who happen to be southern and happen to have done positive things and been generally successful in life. Other than the fact that they sprang from the same geographic region and were not known for being crystal meth dealers, racists, arsonists, ignoramuses or barefoot yokels, there is little else to hold together this string of names. And another thing, any listing song about the southern voice that doesn't mention this guy is missing a major piece of cultural significance.
The music doesn't help with the presentation. I'd expect a song called "Southern Voice" to either sound really country or pull in some anthem-like Southern rock guitar. Wrong on both counts. The tune just kinda lays there like water in a jar ... or grits... and grits without bacon bits or pepper or sugar or butter, just plain-ass grits. Oh yeah, there's harmonica - so I guess the grits have (is grits a plural?) a dash of salt.
I won't say this is a terrible song (save what might be the clumsiest, most cliche ridden bridge ever). On third and fourth listens, it's actually starting to burrow into my ears a little and hey, I respect all the folks presented. "Southern Voice" just doesn't fuel my yeehaw.
An aside: here are a few of metrolyrics.com's interpretation the song's lyrics (lol!):
"Will Farmer wrote it"
"blows from Memphis down to Appalachia Coal"
"Don't let this old goat cross in this Almond Brothers t-shirt and throw ya"
"Dr. King paved it"
"Billy Graves saved it"
Total value: .55/.99
The Checklist
Church/GodMama
Boots
Name DroppingDying Person
County Fair
Lost Love
Love
Hometown Pride
Kindly Advice
Truck
WhiskeyBeer
Life AffirmationUSASoldiers
Pop Sheen
Star Power
My thoughts exactly. wth on those lyrics?!?
ReplyDeleteHank William sang it
ReplyDelete#3 drove it
Chuck Berry twanged it
Will Faulkner wrote it
Aretha Franklin sold it
Dolly Parton graced it
Rosa Parks rode it and
Scarlett O chased it
Smooth as a hickory wind that flows from Memphis down to Appalachicola
Hi y’all, did ya eat …..well come on in I’m sure glad to know ya
Don’t let this old gold cross or this Allman Brother’s tee shirt throw ya
It’s just kids makin’ noise……with a Southern Voice….yeah, yeah
Hank Aaron smacked it
Michael Jordan dunked it
Pocahontas tracked it and
Jack Daniels drunk it
Tom Petty rocked it
Dr. King paved it
Bear Bryant won it
Billy Graham sang it
Smooth as a hickory wind that flows from Memphis down to Appalachicola
Hi y’all, did ya eat …..well come on in I’m sure glad to know ya
Don’t let this old gold cross or this Crimson Tide tee shirt throw ya
It’s just kids makin’ noise……with a Southern Voice….yeah, yeah
Jesus is my friend
America is my home
Sweet iced tea and Jerry Lee…..Daytona Beach
That’s what gets to me…..I can feel it in my bones
Smooth as a hickory wind that flows from Memphis down to Appalachicola
Hi y’all, did ya eat …..well come on in child I’m sure glad to know ya
Don’t let this old gold cross or this Charlie Daniel’s tee shirt throw ya
We’re just boys makin’ noise……with a Southern Voice….yeah, yeah
Its "Billy Graham saved it" not sang it. Billy Graham is one of America's most famous evangelist.
DeleteHey;
ReplyDeleteYou have just birthed the title to 2010's smash summer country hit "Fuel My Yeehaw."
And I choose, hmm, let's see, yes Rodney Atkins...
Personally, I love the "feel" of the music. But the lyrics felt "Worked" what I mean is, the lyrics feel like some one sat down and "Tried" to write this song. I agree with the main reviewer, 3 out of 5 stars. By the way, I'm a big fan of Tim's Songs, well...his version of the songs written by other people.
ReplyDeleteI'm a new songwriter in Nashville. I can't tell you how many times I would bring a song for review and it gets picked apart for the same reasons I would pick Tim's songs apart for. There is a big catch 22 in the nashville songwriting culture. The bottom line is: A crappy written song from someone in the "Club" sung by a star = great! A crappy written song from an unknown (Not in the club) = crappy.
ReplyDelete"smooth as a hickory wind..." can't believe tim mcgraw referenced gram parsons... wow. gram deserves better than tim mcgraw. no one that cares about tim mcgraw will know what the hell that line even means.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't aware that Pocahontas tracked things.
ReplyDeleteYeah? She helped Louis and Clark in their expedition around the western US. She helped translate the native language, and yes she tracked things.
DeleteIf you are going to hate on a song why don't you hate on the original writers of the song? The singer just sings it, and most of the time they might not even have that much of a choice. After all, Tim didn't write it he sung it.
ReplyDeleteAretha Franklin SOULED it - but was was Scarlet O chasing? men? money? love? independence? all of the above?
ReplyDelete