Tim McGraw seems to have the perfect life. Bodacious wife. Cute kids. He’s the ultimate Country "rock" star. He has it all. That’s why there’ll always be people in Nashville trying to knock him down a few pegs.
McGraw releases his latest CD "Let It Go" Today. It’s his first of all new material in about three years. Nashville naysayers will have a rough time putting down this project.
Any arguments that his music is "too pop" is disproven by this CD. He keeps it mainstream country. As Tim says "I couldn’t go pop if you stck a firecreacker up my *@#$!"
I’m not a huge fan of the lead single "Last Dollar" (witten by Big and Rich’s Big Kenny) but it sets up the CD just fine. My "must listen" cut on the album is "Between The River and Me" a brooding, rockin’ edgy song written by McGraw buddies Brad and Brett Warren. I have been a fan of the song on the Warren’s CD (actually prefer thier version) and I’m glad to hear it see the light of day. It would be an unlikey – risky – radio single… but one can hope.
A few Faith Hill contributions round out a solid offerening from Country’s new mainstream voice. McGraw faces an uphill sales battle in a world of slumping CD sales (thanks to digital downloads.) But if it goes anything like the rest of his life I think he’ll be just fine.
My Grade: B- (No radio slam dunks like "Live Like You Were Dying"
Mainstream Country music has sometimes been described as a big circus tent. Under which there are a lot of different kinds of performers. Jack Ingram proves in his new CD “This Is It” (available 3/27) that he deserves a spot under the tent even if he doesn’t stay “inside the box.”
My Grade: Solid B 
