Tim McGraw Hits Big with "Let It Go"

Tim McGraw just seems to get better with age.  As he approaches his 40th birthday, he has released a new CD, “Let It Go,” and proves again that he is willing to try something new and master it. The new music is a mix of styles and tempos and shows once again that McGraw has a knack for picking songs anyone can identify with.

 

There are several songs with the traditional country music theme of love lost, but even these come across as heartfelt and true. “Whisky and You” compares loving a woman to loving alcohol and declares that both will drive you out of your mind. “Kristofferson” talks about writing a song about lost love just like Kristofferson might do and McGraw sounds very much like his musical idol. 

 

  

There are also several darker songs on the CD. The best is “I’m Working” about how hard working nights can be on family life. “Nothing to Die For” suggests that drinking isn’t worth dying for:

 

“There’s a whole lot of things you say you’re living for

You got to fight it some how

Stop and turn around because this ain’t nothing to die for.”

 

An excellent cut is what sounds like the male version of the “Ode to Billy Joe.” The song, “Between the River and Me” uses a driving beat to tell the story of a boy’s revenge against an abusive stepfather.

 

The lovely “I Need You” is a duet with McGraw’s wife, Faith Hill. Unlike other hits by the two, this one doesn’t blend voices, but each sings a verse in response to the other – their voices never touching. It’s different and works well. On a later cut, the two are back to harmonize in “Shotgun Rider.”

 

Sure to be a favorite among McGraw fans is the R&B track, “Suspicious” – a fantastic rendition of the original done by Eddie Rabbitt.

 

McGraw showed his willingness to try something new with his first big song “Indian Outlaw” many years ago. He proved it again when he brought his road band, The Dance Hall Doctors” into the studio in 2002. The “Let It Go” CD shows that McGraw can reach beyond traditional country to new musical areas and do it well. He has an independent streak and it serves him well.