Every #1 Country Song of the 2000s: 2004

2004

February 7: "Remember When" by Alan Jackson

I don't know why, but Alan tends to hit hardest for me when he's being romantic. "Song for the Life" and "I'll Go On Loving You" are among my favorites of his, and so is this one. Maybe it's because I know about his temporary separation from long-time wife Denise, which is the kind of personal detail these songs often lack. Maybe it's just how naturally flowing the progress of this song is, from first meeting to various life changes to children to advancing age. Maybe it's the tender melody, with plenty of mandolin and just enough string section to sound lush without being bombastic -- not to mention the way the instrumental drops into a lower key before the last chorus raises it back up. Maybe it's the sense of finality with that last line "We won't be sad, we'll be glad / For all the life we had / And we'll remember when." All of these ingredients combine to make a country wedding standard that rivals "Look at Us" in how heartfelt and beautiful it is, touching even a heart as un-romantic as mine. A+

February 21: "American Soldier" by Toby Keith

I remember when this first came out, my immediate dismissal of it was "oh, he's just trying to placate those of us who didn't like 'Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue'." But then I heard Toby discuss the song on Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40, and he pointed out something I didn't notice the first time around. He doesn't actually get into the soldier stuff until the chorus. That whole first verse is just your standard family man, doing the best he can, working tirelessly... but it's not until the chorus that we find out it's because he's a soldier. He doesn't even add a verse after that; he just lets the twist stand on its own. Maybe the production is a little bombastic and on the nose (such as the bells), and maybe the lines about the soldier's duties aren't the most inspired either. But you know what? He got me with this one. And if he can nail the slow-burn on a patriotic song, then yeah, I'd say this one's all right. B+

March 20: "Watch the Wind Blow By" by Tim McGraw

This has to be the most forgotten of Tim McGraw's #1 hits. But I'd say that's more from being stuck in the shadow of an even bigger hit than anything else. This one has a very easy-going production style full of glassy guitar fills, Hammond organ, and a bit more drums than usual -- even before he starts singing, it just sounds like an easy-going walk with your lover on an autumn day. Sometimes it's okay if a song has low stakes like this; it's refreshing to just take in the everyday and enjoy the beauty of nature. I like that there's still some emotional investment in lines like "All your troubles and your sorrows, they won't last" to give the song a little more weight. It's a shame the wind blew this one away so quickly, because I think it's one of his most overlooked gems. A

April 3: "When the Sun Goes Down" by Kenny Chesney

feat. Uncle Kracker

Literally the only problem I have with this song is that it has Uncle Kracker on it. Oh well, it could be worse; it could've been Kid Rock. This one isn't trying to be anything more than a party-hearty sing-along, and on that front it succeeds. It's got an energy to its production, and the sonic surroundings make Uncle Kracker sound way less white-trash than usual. I also think it's interesting that it's one of the few #1 hits in this stretch to have only one writer. And "everything gets hotter when the sun goes down" is a hell of a hook. Maybe it's a bit of a letdown that something this lightweight fell between much meatier songs, but I can't fault him for wanting to have a little fun in between. B

May 8: "You'll Think of Me" by Keith Urban

While this one isn't as guitar-heavy, it's still a beautiful, evocative, calm look at a relationship that isn't working out. I like that it starts out with him driving around to clear his head, and even works in a "you'll regret it" to his ex. He walks an emotional tightrope between introspective and bitter, never sounding too light or too harsh. Lines like "I guess I'm getting just a little tired of this / And all the baggage that seems to still exist" and "take your cat but leave my sweater" -- the latter line being one I see singled out the most in talks about this song -- reveal a high level of detail. There is an incredible amount of emotion in every note of this, and it perfectly threads every single one. This is probably the most dramatic nuance crammed into a single song since "All These Years," and it's one of the most vivid takes on a breakup in the entire genre. A+

May 22: "Mayberry" by Rascal Flatts

Usually, it bothers me when people pine for a sanitized, Norman Rockwell-esque picture of "the good ol' days" when they're far too young to remember such a time. But this one goes out of its way to establish that the image longed for is a fictional one -- the setting of The Andy Griffith Show, for those of you not in the loop -- and that makes it go down easier. While lines like "Sunday was a day of rest / Now it's one more day for progress" come dangerously close to setting off my "OK, boomer" alarms, the desire to get away from it all is instantly relatable enough to pull it back. I also like that the image fades away at the end, driving home that this song's message is not a lecture, just escapism. It helps that Rascal Flatts were still pretty laid-back at this point, enhancing the "get away from it all" feel. B+

May 29: "Redneck Woman" by Gretchen Wilson

Gretchen Wilson offered an enjoyable amount of grit right out of the gate. She prefers beer to champagne and she'd rather shop at Walmart than Victoria's Secret. She listens to Tanya Tucker and Lynyrd Skynyrd. This just sounds like the kind of people I know and have associated with, and I like that -- unlike most other songs of this sort -- she goes out of her way to explain why she's proud to be what Jeff Foxworthy once defined as a "glorious absence of sophistication." And for a novelty song -- especially one with the MuzikMafia's fingerprints all over it -- that's a surprising amount of nuance. The melody is anthemic, and Gretchen's rough, slightly off-pitch delivery works with the material instead of against it. Sure, she immediately went cartoonishly over-the-top with "Here for the Party" and "All Jacked Up," and her ballads almost entirely rang false. So maybe in the end, there wasn't much more to her than this. But what there was in this song is so damn different, relatable, and self-aware that I can't help but like it. B+

July 3: "If You Ever Stop Loving Me" by Montgomery Gentry

I'm surprised it took Montgomery Gentry so long to get a #1 hit, because it certainly wasn't an issue of quality. I could waste this entire review listing off all the songs of theirs I didn't get to rave about. Of course, that doesn't mean this one's unworthy. Right out of the gate we get one of the catchiest acoustic guitar riffs of the decade. The opening lines lay out that this is a tough man who withstood parental abuse and street fights to make him tough -- but just before you think it's going to be a machismo anthem, he drops this winner of a line: "Only God knows where I'd be / If you ever stop loving me." The late Troy Gentry has the right amount of swagger, playfulness, and grit to make the song hit just right, and the production's on point with its heavy bass, banjo, and even a turntable scratch. This was more than worthy of finally getting them to the top. A

July 10: "Whiskey Girl" by Toby Keith

I think the guitar tone alone raises this a notch or two for me. Other than that, there's not really a lot of flavor here. It's a standard "man, my girl is hot" lyric without a real hook. While "beer just makes her turn up her nose" is kind of a cute image and "but I like 'em rough" does stick out a bit for an intentional break in the rhyme scheme, everything else is extremely by-the-numbers. Thankfully, it doesn't feel nearly as creepy as Travis Tritt's "The Girl's Gone Wild," but that's about all I can say in its favor. This is just filler, and that's not usually a term I can use to describe a Toby Keith song, good or bad. C

July 17: "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw

Given my historic dislike of motivational mega-hits, you'd probably think I'd hate this one too. But unlike most, this one actually has a narrative instead of succumbing to sound-bites. It tells of a man who, faced with an unfavorable health diagnosis, gets (in Rick Trevino's words) a real bad case of carpe diem and goes off doing all the things he's previously denied himself. It's an uplifting message that I can't really fault, and I don't think the execution is terrible here, either. (It helps that a friend actually did have a cancer scare when I wrote this.) I may question how good of an idea it is to do such strenuous activities as skydiving when faced with a life-threatening illness. I may question why we needed to know the name of the bull he rides. I may question the odd scansion of "gave forgiveness I'd been denyin'." And I may question how much of that long note at the end was done without studio trickery, while also thinking the song gets just a tad bombastic at the end regardless. But at the end of the day, this one is just too likable and relatable for me to really get bothered by it. B+

April 7: "Somebody" by Reba McEntire

This is a bit of a different song for her, but it works. I like the acoustic guitar and Dobro intro, which give Reba a slightly different sonic palette. The narrative is believable, too: the guy's in a bad relationship he wants to get out of , and a waitress offers the solution: "somebody in the next car / Somebody on the morning train / Somebody in the coffee shop that you walk right by every day." After a failed attempt with someone else at his apartment complex, who does he end up falling in love with? You guessed it, the waitress. If you can see that ending coming, then chalk it up to Reba's warm, casual tone -- easily leagues above the plastic read of Mark Wills's original -- to get you there. I could totally believe this happening, and that's ultimately what makes it work. Reba didn't have her eyes on the charts for most of this decade, but I'm glad she got to the top again with a song strong enough to make me forgive the blatant chart manipulation scheme it took to get her there. A

September 11: "Girls Lie Too" by Terri Clark

Battle of the sexes humor was already played out at the time. I've heard literally every joke in this song a billion times by hack comedians, and Terri adds absolutely nothing new to the proceedings -- other than a really weak-willed attempt at subversion in the title. But said attempt is little more than a half-baked "NOT!" joke from Wayne's World, which also was tremendously played out long before 2004. Oh, you "like Hooters for their hot wings too"? Never heard that one before. "Size don't matter anyway"? TMI, Terri. I don't think I've heard so many jokes bomb so hard since the last time I scrolled through my own Twitter feed. And Terri's oddly square-jaw delivery doesn't really help matters either. This one also got to #1 entirely through a chart manipulation scheme (to the point Billboard re-factored the chart entirely to stop it from happening again), but unlike "Somebody" it's just an inexcusably bad song. F

September 18: "Days Go By" by Keith Urban

I love everything about this song. All of the lyrics tie into a fast car on the freeway in some fashion, with some real gems like comparing the speed to holding your hand out the window -- an image memorable enough for me to forgive the chorus for rhyming "by" with "by." It's this unusual mix of urgency and introspection, of living in the moment because they all go by so fast, that makes this song so compelling. And that mix is even reflected in the instrumentation, which pits Keith's guitar wizardry against some well-placed mandolin on that hard-driving chorus, then calms down for a more relaxed bridge and acoustic reprise of the chorus before kicking back into full gear. Literally everything on this track works, and it's songs like this that make me realize why I grew to like him so much in this era. A

October 16: "Suds in the Bucket" by Sara Evans

Teenage love can make for some really great songs. I just love the down-home image of the girl running off to Las Vegas (a detail saved until the last verse) without even finishing the laundry -- which itself is done the old-fashioned way, in a washtub and all. I also love the added detail of their elopement spreading through the small-town rumor mill. Even the beauticians and preachers are in on this one! This song is cute, charming, and retro without ever sounding forced or anachronistic. And it's helped by Sara's distinctive twang and the equally twangy production -- lots of baritone guitar, steel, fiddle, and banjo in the mix here. The melody is way above the norm too, with a few dips in and out of Mixolydian mode. This is an absolute charmer on all accounts. A

October 23: "I Hate Everything" by George Strait

No, this isn't about the British YouTuber who reviews bad movies. It's a left-of-center story song between two men at a bar. The one of the two who isn't the narrator is bitter to the point of nihilism, drinking and going on about all the things he "hates" now that he's divorced. Instead of trying to offer advice, the narrator just lets the guy ramble. (I love the line "If it weren't for my two kids, I'd hate my ex-wife.") At the end, we find out the narrator was in a rough relationship himself, and was inspired to patch things up because of the other guy, whose drinks he even pays for. (I also find it interesting that by 2004, we were already casually writing cell phones into country songs.) It's an inspired yet relatable character sketch with a great twist ending -- just the kind of thing that makes for a great country song, especially one sung by King George. A

November 6: "In a Real Love" by Phil Vassar

After a long gap, Phil Vassar finally returns to the top. This is probably his best set of lyrics since his debut album, showing his knack for uncommon vernacular. It's an everyman sketch of a struggling man and woman -- the well-worn "we don't have much, but we have each other" trope. Like most of his debut album and the songs he wrote before he made it big, it shines through uncommon vernacular ("spendin' dollars and makin' dimes"), along with plenty of other uncommon terms, such as it being probably the only song to specifically call a pregnancy test an EPT. The arrangement is also a tad grittier than usual, something I remember many reviewers commenting on during this album cycle, and something that enhances the personality of this track. While he hung around for quite a while afterward, it's a shame he almost never returned to this level of quality. A-

November 20: "Mr. Mom" by Lonestar

It says something about the decline of Lonestar when their first #1 name-dropped the KKK and their last name-dropped Barney. (Although if someone name-dropped Bluey in a modern song, I doubt I'd complain.) The mom has just taken up a job, so it's now the father's turn to run the house, and of course he fails miserably. It's the same stock trope you've seen in a billion sitcoms, and like "30 minutes or its free" pizza delivery or "they're going to build a mall," it stuck around as a stock sitcom plot long after real-life situations (namely, the fact that even in 2004, nearly every two-parent household had both parents working) made it obsolete. Richie gives a cloying, over-the-top vocal read, and the production is way too clean even by Dann Huff's standards. I will say that the final verse's overt admiration for the woman in this scenario is a mark in this song's favor, but by then it's too little, too late. Go listen to Cledus T. Judd's "Where's Your Mommy?" instead if you want this played for self-deprecation instead of pandering. C-

December 4: "Nothing On but the Radio" by Gary Allan

The best of Gary Allan's #1 hits by far. Admittedly, with how bad "Man to Man" and "Tough Little Boys" were, that's a low bar to clear, but Gary went for something a little different here and nailed it. While the hook isn't the most original thing -- I remember an obscure hit from 1982 by the Younger Brothers with a slightly different arrangement of words in the title -- this one has a lot going for it. That guitar riff is catchy as hell, and Gary sounds like he's having fun singing it. Maybe the individual lyrics aren't the most inspired -- fire/higher/desire rhymes and all -- but this song's just too likable for me to let that bring me down much. Being lighthearted yet sensual is a tough needle to thread, and I'd say this one did the trick. B+

December 18: "Back When" by Tim McGraw

A lot of Tim's songs had a somewhat progressive edge to them, so it's jarring to hear him suddenly become this preachy and retrograde. He longs for the "old and outdated way of life" and then makes borderline tasteless jokes about words like "ho," "coke," "crack," and "screw" (fun fact: did you know the use of "screw" as a euphemism for sex dates to 1725?). I especially have to call into question the utter hypocrisy of him calling out "pop in my country" in the same year he cut a duet with Nelly and had one of the biggest country crossover hits. And unlike "Mayberry," there's no sense of escapism. Thankfully, this isn't nearly as problematic (or hypocritical) as, say, Miranda Lambert calling for female subservience and shunning divorce in "Automatic." It is, however, still whiny and played-out pandering with a side of "get off my lawn!" D

December 25: "Some Beach" by Blake Shelton

Joke songs can overstay their welcomes if the joke doesn't land, but thankfully this one does. The way "some beach" sounds like "som'bitch" is clever and just edgy enough to work without having a Helluva Boss-esque "we have to swear in every sentence because that's what adults do" energy. All the situations that come up are realistic ones that tie into each other -- driving down the road to the dentist's office, only to spend too long waiting and then have a mishap in the dentist's chair -- showing a sense of continuity that puts this head and shoulders above most joke songs. Blake's delivery is cool, the production is cool, and I still laugh the thousandth time I hear it. What's not to love? A-

Every #1 Country Song of the 2000s: 2001

2001

By Bobby Peacock

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January 20: "Born to Fly" by Sara Evans

"I've been telling my dreams to the scarecrow" is one of those opening lines that knocks it out of the park immediately. It's such a clever introduction to this song's underlying theme of wanting to expand your horizons, and it honestly feels like a natural complement to the song before it. Every single line is clever and inspirational, a tough needle to thread ("How do you keep your feet on the ground when you know that you were born to fly?"). The timbales in the production, followed by that strong acoustic strum. Dobro, and string-heavy coda, add a fantastic sonic backdrop to Sara's voice -- bold yet twangy, adding pop without removing country. Sara Evans can be hit-and-miss at times, but her best material is every bit as strong as her contemporaries. A

January 27: "Without You" by The Chicks

I don't know why this seems to be the one big Chicks hit that no one remembers, because it's easily up to their standards. "I've sure enjoyed the rain, but I'm looking forward to the sun" is a damn great opening line, and it continues in the same fashion, keeping up a surprising slow-burn about a failing relationship. The way it's more relaxed in delivery and production -- love the subtle strings and Dobro -- makes it almost an outlier, if not for the fact that "You Were Mine" also exists. While this one isn't quite as hard-hitting as "You Were Mine," that's not a knock against this song either. I can't deny a line like "Somebody tell my head to try to tell my heart that I'm better off without you," especially with how it leads into that beautiful falsetto. This is every bit as strong as "Cowboy Take Me Away" and in my opinion deserves the same recognition. A

February 3: "Tell Her" by Lonestar

This is probably one of the only times where Dann Huff amping things up was a good move. The album version is too restrained to the point of sounding wimpy, but the radio edit went for a much bolder arrangement that forces Richie McDonald into a fuller delivery that never goes over the top. When you hear him sing "Tell her that you need her" on the radio edit, he sounds like a guy who's been there, who made some mistakes, and is offering well-placed advice -- whereas on the album version, he just sounds like Dan + Shay on a bad day. Lyrically, this is one of their best from the power ballad era, and I'm amazed (pun intended) as to why this isn't in the same caliber as "Amazed" or "I'm Already There." It's good stuff especially if you bother to track down the radio edit -- something not even their Greatest Hits album could be bothered to do. A (radio edit) / B- (album version)

February 17: "There Is No Arizona" by Jamie O'Neal

This one hooked me in on first listen and I still maintain it as one of the best of the entire decade. The narrative is surprisingly nuanced: he says he's going to start a new life with her in Arizona, but instead uses this as an excuse to ditch her entirely before she gives up hope. The title alone tells you everything, but the narrative is so compelling from first to last word. O'Neal's voice is bold and commanding, recalling Chely Wright with a little bit of Rosanne Cash thrown in. I especially love the mix of acoustic guitar and drum loops, creating a very distinctive sonic palette that can hardly be better matched to the fantastic lyrics. From this song alone, I can tell you Jamie O'Neal deserved way the hell more of a career than what she got. A+

February 24: "But for the Grace of God" by Keith Urban

Having not yet found his sound, Keith Urban aimed for the motivational market. The first verse paints the picture of neighbors fighting, something I've witnessed many times myself. I don't even have an issue with the fact that he wants to pray for them. But it's the prayer itself that kills this song: "But for the grace of God go I / I must've been born a lucky guy / Heaven only knows how I've been blessed with the gift of Your love." I'm reminded of the prayer of the Pharisee as recounted in Luke 18: "God, I thank You that I am not like other people--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get." If the verses had been completely identical, and the chorus more empathetic -- praying for the fighting neighbors' and old man's lives to become better, or even offering a helping hand -- then I would be fine with the message. But as it is, the self-centered humble-brag of the chorus ruins everything here. I will say, I do like how relaxed Keith's delivery is, and how this is one of his more country-sounding production jobs. I just wish this had a better message. C-

March 3: "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This" by Toby Keith

What I find interesting about Toby Keith at this point is how he hadn't quite shed the smooth balladry of his '90s work; he just got a better producer. This is a harder, old-school country lyric about feeling lost in the moment with someone you shouldn't be with (the old "just friends" trope), accentuated by a slow-building chorus. I love how the chorus actually begins with the hook and just keeps building up line after line to set the mood even further, alongside some unusual chord structures. I also like how the title transforms into "When you kiss me like this, I think you mean it like that / If you do, baby, kiss me again" for that added bit of tension. Some of Toby Keith's best works are ballads thanks to his flair for drama mixed with his ever-present grit, and this exemplifies his strengths on slower songs. A

March 10: "One More Day" by Diamond Rio

Diamond Rio became way more pop at the end of the '90s, but they did so without subtracting country -- thanks in no small part to their ever-present twangy harmony. This could have been a standard piano ballad, but Marty Roe and his bandmates (not to mention the prominent mandolin) cut away any semblance of gloss. Although it was written as a love song, the premise of wanting "one more day" found a new life after the fact, as even the band themselves pointed out. Fans of Dale Earnhardt, those who witnessed the Oklahoma State University plane crash, and of course, those who lost family and friends in 9/11 all related with that premise in a way that the song was not originally intended to convey. And who doesn't love the hook of "But then again, I know what it would do / Leave me wishing still for one more day with you"? It's clever and meaningful, never trite. Broad appeal and subtext are hard to pull off without sounding vague or boring, but I'd say they more than got it right. A

April 7: "Who I Am" by Jessica Andrews

I wanted to root for Jessica Andrews. After all, LeAnn Rimes had already gone full pop, and Lila McCann never had anything even remotely as good as "Down Came a Blackbird." Unfortunately, Jessica's only big hit was also her worst. Even at the time, I thought this song sounded like what two 40-something men think teenage girls think about. Is an 18-year-old really going to dream about the Seven Wonders? It doesn't even stick to its focus, as halfway through it degrades into more fortune-cookie gibberish without an underlying narrative. Exactly what mistakes did she make? Why does being Rosemary's granddaughter matter toward her identity? (Especially when, as I've pointed out many times, her grandmother isn't actually named Rosemary?) There's no semblance of personality, and it's all sold in a bland uninspired vocal performance with bland uninspired production. Why couldn't she have had a hit with her cover of "Unbreakable Heart" instead? D-

April 28: "Ain't Nothing 'bout You" by Brooks & Dunn

After a weak 1999 and 2000, Brooks & Dunn were back, bigger and better than ever. This song is their biggest sounding, immediately leading off with electric guitar, hard drums, and slap bass. Right out of the gate, B&D had a message to convey: they're back, bigger and better than ever. Yes, that's still Ronnie Dunn, twangy and gruff as ever -- even Kix is higher up in the mix than usual. The lyrics are some of their quirkiest and most fun when portraying how much he loves her, freed of the chauvinism or formula that bogs down some of their '90s hits. (Favorite line: "I love your attitude, your rose tattoo, your every thought / Your smile, your lips, and your the list goes on and on and on.") Even without the subtext of this being the genesis of a massive comeback era for them, it's still a fantastic example of B&D firing on all cylinders with an accessible, unique, and fun love song that easily ranks among their best. A+

June 9: "Don't Happen Twice" by Kenny Chesney

Kenny Chesney around this point is quite interesting in how he was beginning to cut higher-quality material but had yet to cohere into his famous arena rock-meets-beach bum style. Of course, songs like "The Tin Man" and "That's Why I'm Here" show he was always able to aim his sights a bit higher. This song is no exception. It's not as original as the former or deep as the latter, but it's still a lot of fun. There truly is nothing like falling in love for the first time (something even I, an outspoken aromantic, can tell you). I love the little details of singing Janis Joplin and drinking wine out of Dixie cups on the hood of a car for that extra bit of quirkiness. But to me, the song's appeal is in just how chill it is, combined with its observations of how any "first time" with anything -- not just the love in this story arc -- can't be re-created. A-

June 16: "Grown Men Don't Cry" by Tim McGraw

I have a weakness for songs where men show their emotions. It's so subversive that even if the execution doesn't fully land, the premise can usually carry it to the finish line. It's a bit sappy what with the homeless mother and son living in their car and the little girl saying "I love you, dad" at the end, but I do like the twist in the second verse -- where the memories of the narrator's father are quickly swept away by the sudden revelation that said father is now dead. (I had a lot of missed opportunities with my own dad before his death, so that kind of stuff almost always hits me.) Tim's voice is a little whiny in his attempts to sound sincere, but I can chalk that up to this being a bit of a transitional period for him artistically. Maybe a little less preaching in the third verse (Tom Douglas usually nails the religious references, but I think he overshot a bit here), and this could be great instead of merely decent. B

June 23: "I'm Already There" by Lonestar

What would "Cat's in the Cradle" sound like without the details, introspection, or reversal of roles at the end? Take that, and layer on strings, guitars, and a whiny over-the-top vocal (all of which are far worse in the radio edit, by the way), and you get "I'm Already There." The father doesn't even try to reflect or offer any kind words; he just says I know you miss me, but I'm already there. Can't you see me? I totally love you through my inaction. And then it dumps the kids in favor of letting the wife have a turn, only to get the exact same cold shoulder. This was the exact point where I gave up on Lonestar -- they were no longer the "No News" guys, they were this. How did Frank J. Myers go from all those great Eddy Raven songs to glop like this? F

August 4: "When I Think About Angels" by Jamie O'Neal

"Why does the color of my coffee match your eyes?" is an easy line to make fun of, but I get what she was going for. This is just a cute song with its whole "one thing leads to another" thought process, something I would consider one of the closest attempts at conveying ADHD in lyrical form. Rain leads to Singin' in the Rain, which leads to singing a heavenly tune, then to angels, then to the guy who's also an angel. That's a lot less cutesy than I'm making it sound, and it's helped by Jamie O'Neal never over-selling it. I do think the backing vocals are mixed a little weird (to the point I used to think some of them were sped up Alvin and the Chipmunks style), but a couple of minor auditory quirks don't do any harm to a premise this charming. B+

August 11: "Austin" by Blake Shelton

Right out of the gate, I knew Blake Shelton had something special. This sounded fresh and traditional at the time, and depsite the use of an answering machine, I think it still holds up today. I love how Austin is both the setting and the name of the woman. I love how the answering machine message changes with each chorus to convey the emotional changes of the breakup. His voice is gritty and dramatic, and the production builds up with him to a fantastic third chorus ("Can't you tell, this is Austin / And I still love you"). Literally everything works on this song, and I think it set the bar almost too high for the rest of his career. (Although he did have a lot of gold early on.) I just wish he'd go back to this style. A+

September 15: "I'm Just Talkin' About Tonight" by Toby Keith

More tongue-in-cheek swagger from Toby Keith. This one has a pretty standard "I'm not ready to commit" narrative that on the surface most of us have probably heard a billion times. But there are a lot of elements in play that make it stand out. First, I love how the chorus works from high notes down to a low register on the line "that would be too demanding." I love how the woman in the song has some degree of agency and we get a few lines from her perspective. I love the little chuckle before "easy now" at the second chorus. This guy is way too easygoing and self-aware to come across as a lout. Literally the only reason I can't consider this one of his best is because he has an even better comedy song coming up a few entries down. A

September 22: "What I Really Meant to Say" by Cyndi Thomson

I hated that breathy singing style when I was a teen, but I've since grown to love it. (Shout out to Kellie Coffey.) This one has another highly enjoyable sonic element in the form of a penny whistle. (Shout out to the Chicks' "Ready to Run.") And that blends into some distorted organ and mandolin for a unique texture. It's also got that narrative I love so much about hiding emotions. Every suppressed emotion builds from verse to chorus: "I guess that's when I smiled and said 'just fine' / Oh, but baby, I was lyin' / What I really meant to say / Is I'm dying here inside..." Just like the similarly-themed "Just to See You Smile," there's a degree of understatement and tension that lingers for the rest of the song. And I think it works every bit as well, thanks to a distinctly different writing and production style. It's a shame she bailed after only this one album, because she clearly had the talent for more. A+

October 13: "Where I Come From" by Alan Jackson

What a waste of a perfectly solid, ZZ Top-esque groove. The first verse and chorus really have nothing wrong with them, as the trucker gets pulled over by a cop and questioned about his very out-of-place Southern accent in New Jersey. But then the second verse hits, where "south of Detroit City" (a note to both AJ and Journey -- it's called "Downriver") he insults a waitress for not making biscuits like his mom's. Then the third verse, he turns down a lady in California who flirts with him, only because she doesn't "sing soprano." That to me is probably the worst verse (even before we get to the awful slant-rhyme of Ventura/finger, and what the hell "had to use my finger" even means in this context). I've heard it derided  by others as everything from merely rejecting non-standard femininity to possible transphobia. The fourth verse isn't that bad either, but by that point you're tired of all the droning, not to mention the way he can't keep straight whether the chorus references sittin' or pickin', and whether it's on the front or back porch. Even if you're not as put off by the second and third verses as I am, this song is still just too damn long for no reason. D

October 27: "Only in America" by Brooks & Dunn

Although this song was released before 9/11, its themes certainly hit home afterward. Patriotic songs can sometimes get too extra by being too idealistic or vague, or too angry. This one, thankfully, avoids all the pitfalls. The kids in the school bus in the first verse could all have good or bad outcomes, from future President to future inmate; verse two even points out two aspirational entertainers who are presented with an option to chase their dreams or go back home. The chorus presents a picture of those who "dream as big as we want to" and how "everybody gets a chance" -- while such lyrics might hit differently after the likes of George Floyd, January 6, transphobic laws being passed in several states, and other unfortunate threats on those in our country, I think they still hold up as images of what America should be. We should be the "land of the free." To me, a further mark in this song's favor is that both George W. Bush and Barack Obama used it as a campaign song. This song unified people, and I hope it's not too late to reclaim the sense of unity and peace this song calls out for. A+

November 10: "Angry All the Time" by Tim McGraw

An otherwise great song with two minor faults that drag it down. I genuinely like the maturity that goes into a lyric like "I don't know why you gotta be angry all the time," and how we watch a relationship slowly come undone throughout. A more cynical read might paint this song as one-sided and defensive, but I never saw it that way. I think it's helped by the fact that Tim was really sinking into a more mature and thoughtful role, not to mention a slightly deeper and smoother vocal delivery that almost never oversold anything he sang. However, the line "twenty years have came and went" always bothered me -- normally I'm not that picky about grammar, but when the wrong grammar scans objectively worse, it just bugs me. The other thing is that Faith Hill's backing vocal -- while thematically relevant to the lyrics -- is as dissonant as ever. I've never thought that she and Tim had any chemistry on their collaborative songs and in fact, they often sound extremely clashing to me because of how utterly dissimilar their vocal tones are. Overall, a flawed but worthwhile package. B+

November 24: "I Wanna Talk About Me" by Toby Keith

I told you Toby had an even better comedy song coming up. This song is like absolutely nothing else on radio then or now, and I think it's all the better for it. The rap flow and beat are surprisingly strong for what was likely written as a joke, but I think it's way too lyrically sharp to be a "Red Solo Cup" style shitpost. This guy seems willing to engage in his wife's conversations about her own life -- he never sounds like he's mocking her in a "women, amirite?' tone, just playfully acknowledging that she's got a lot to say. "You know talkin' about you makes me smile / But every once in a while / I wanna talk about me" shows that he does truly care; he just wants to get in a few words of his own too. Just like with "How Do You Like Me Now?!," I think most of the people who bashed on this song just need to lighten up. This is fun, damn it. A+

December 29: "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" by Alan Jackson

9/11 inspired a lot of patriotic music that unfortunately reinforced a lot of red-state stereotypes, so hearing Alan Jackson's calm retrospective is a total breath of fresh air. I can remember walking between first and second period in high school and being told a plane hit the World Trade Center; I thought someone was pulling my leg, until we spent the entire rest of the day watching CNN instead of school work. I remember patriotic posters being put up in the school, and then later taken down because people kept vandalizing them with Islamophobic tirades. Most of America was just doing everyday things, and then we just... weren't. We were shocked, sad, angry, all kinds of emotions. The emotions ran the gamut, but Alan smartly knew how to put a positive spin on it. Loving one's neighbor, one's enemy even, was a far better answer to our problems than all the jingoism and bigotry that would follow and are still being felt today. And with his relaxing delivery and observant slice-of-life lyrics, Alan had a masterful message that I wish more of us had taken to heart. A

Previously: 2000