Tim McGraw 'Southern Voice' CD Review

Tim McGraw had some sharp words for his long-time label, Curb Records, after they decided to shelve Southern Voice in favor of releasing the thoroughly uninspiring Tim McGraw Greatest Hits Vol. 3. After listening to Southern Voice, it’s easy to understand why he was frustrated. His tenth studio release is easily one of his best. McGraw doesn’t necessarily break new ground with some of the more introspective songs here, but it is readily apparent that he has matured enough to actually have us believe what he is singing.

Southern Voice wastes no time getting to the good stuff. The first track, “Still,” which was written by Music City veterans Lee Brice, Kyle Jacob and Joe Leathers, digs deep lyrically, and the hook is pure radio gold. It’s a pulsating mid-temp number that is sincere and earnest while avoiding the slippery-melodramatic-slope that slightly tarnished some of McGraw’s earlier works. Next up is “Ghost Town Train,” a wistful tune lamenting the chances missed with long lost love. Written by Troy Olsen and Marv Green, it’s eerily reminiscent of something Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb might have cooked up 40 years earlier.

On “Good Girls,” a song about a girl’s best friend sleeping with her man, the sadness pours through McGraw’s voice when he sings, “Then Jesse lit a cigarette and said/my man’s been sleepin’ around/and I know who it is/and Jenny’s head fell down.” Then right before Jesse deliberately slams her speeding car into a tree with Jenny onboard, McGraw sings, “Jesse told Jenny/Hey, if I can’t have him/neither of us will.” Ouch. That’s weighty stuff, but he pulls it off nicely.

McGraw’s tour manager, Robert Allen, is the brother of Rick Allen, the drummer of British rock giants Def Leppard. That connection led to McGraw and the Lep’s teaming up on the hit rock single, “Nine Lives,” from Def Leppard’s 2009 album, Songs from the Sparkle Lounge.” The leadoff single from Southern Voice, “It’s a Business Doing Pleasure with You,” was co-written by Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger, proving that McGraw is unafraid to venture outside of country to find good material. The song is a pure commercial romp. It’s light on substance but heavy on the fun. It might feel a tad out of place considering the weightiness of most of the album’s message, but it’s a solid tongue-in-cheek number that rivals McGraw’s 2003 smash “Real Good Man.”

It’s notable to point out that McGraw did not write any of the songs on Southern Voice. He did, however, utilize some of Nashville’s finest songwriters to fill out the album, including the legendary, Bob DiPiero, as well as McGraw’s favorite twin brothers and longtime opening act, Brad and Brett Warren. The Warren Brothers co-wrote three songs, including “If I Died Today,” which picks right up where 2004’s “Live Like You Were Dying” left off: “If I died today/would I need to be ashamed?/Would I be easy to forget?/Could I live with my regrets?” It’s ultra-emotional and somewhat morbid, but much like “Live Like You Were Dying,” it succeeds in getting you to think about life, your death, and how you’ll be remembered when you’re gone.

Instead of using session musicians to record Southern Voice, McGraw bucked normal Nashville conventions by using his own touring band, the Dancehall Doctors. The result is a grittier and more “live” sounding album, which is quite refreshing. Southern Voice might lack a bit of that super-polished sonic perfection so prevalent in most major country releases, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The sound here is more honest and intimate, and it wonderfully complements the authentic emotions McGraw conveys throughout the album. Perhaps his success in Hollywood is helping him to focus more importance on the believability of his messages. Maybe it’s just the maturity that comes with age. Regardless, this is easily one of McGraw’s best albums.

Release Date: October 20, 2009

Label: Curb

Best Tracks

• “Still”
• “It’s a Business Doing Pleasure with You”
• “If I Died Today”
• “Good Girls”
• “Ghost Town Train”