Song of the Day: "I Will Not Fall Down"

Tim McGraw, Tim McGraw, where did we last leave off with Tim McGraw?

It's been a while since I tried giving Tim some career advice, and here we are with Emotional Traffic, an album that's hailed as "diverse" and "serious" by everyone at the Wal-Mart! How diverse?

There is a black man on the record. OMG BECKY!!!

By the way, "diverse" is standard issue for artists with crossover appeal. (SEE ALSO: Beyonce, Shania Twain, Shania 2: Electric Boogaloo [Faith Hill])

Anyway, I was heartened that Tim, no doubt after reading my various blog posts longing for the days when musically orthogonal (it's a word, look it up) artists were routinely combined for movie soundtracks (they still are on every Grammy show), reached out to work with R&B/pop negro (and not at all gay, no sir) singer Ne-Yo. Tim McGraw and Ne-Yo is perfect.

But this isn't that song. That song will wait.

This is the song that Tim wrote himself.

Co-wrote.

Co-wrote with 3 other actual songwriter types.

I'm sure his contribution was valuable, and not just him adding "no I won't" after one lyric and securing himself 10% of the publishing deal. I'm sure it was more than that.

It came to my attention when one review called it Coldplay-ish. Since Tim worked with Mrs. Coldplay in that movie about country singers (no, no, no, no, that's the one). I thought maybe some Coldplay rubbed off on McGraw, like second-hand (she could be a carrier even if she doesn't show symptoms). I was eager to hear how that would sound: Tim McGraw sings one of the songs that sounds like "Yellow"!!! For some reason, that appeals to me.

So imagine my disappointment to find that it isn't Coldplay-ish.

It's Snow Patrol-ish.

Which is to say Fake-Coldplay-ish.

He couldn't even copy the right one. Sigh.

Okay Tim, we'll need to try again. Can I recommend you try an album of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers covers?


Song: "I Will Not Fall Down"
Artist: Tim McGraw