Single Review: ‘Meanwhile Back at Mama’s’ – Tim McGraw

10 years ago Liv Carter 1
tim mcgraw meanwhile back at mama's songwriters jaren johnston jeffrey steele tom douglas
Big Machine

Songwriters: Jeffrey Steele, Jaren Johnston, Tom Douglas

Following his tolerate-it-or-detest-it single, ‘Lookin’ for that Girl,’ Tim McGraw turns from modernity to tradition. And brand new song ‘Meanwhile at Mama’s’ practices what it preaches.

Written by Jeffrey Steele, Jaren Johnston, and Tom Douglas, the song longs for quieter, simpler times in our fast-paced world…and then leaves that world behind.

“Meanwhile back at mama’s,
The porch light’s on, come on in if you wanna
Supper’s on the stove and beer’s in the fridge
Red sun sinking out low on the ridge.”

A velvety soft percussion keeps time like an old trusty grandfather clock, and the acoustic guitar and sweeping steel complete this near-throwback track. When Faith Hill joins in just before the two-minute mark, you find yourself back in the middle of 1990’s neo-traditional country. The mix leaves lots of space between the instruments, underscoring the sentiments expressed. Quiet moments announce the choruses, highlighting the wonderful swaying melody. The production matches and further highlights the unusual song structure.

The songwriting trio behind Keith Urban‘s ‘Raise ’em Up’ delivers again. While this is not at all a new theme for a country song, the lyrics contain little gems of lines I won’t spoil here and leave for listeners to discover. Everything about this song, the lyrics, Tim’s understated performance, the arrangement, works toward the same goal: the not-at-all-simple art of a simple song.

“I miss those small town roots,
Walking around in muddy boots,
The sound of rain on an old tin roof.”

And I have missed Tim McGraw sounding this good on a radio single.

thumb-up-two-LRM

‘Meanwhile Back at Mama’s’ is available on iTunes as of today.

 

Liv Carter

Liv Carter

Liv is a career coach for creatives, and the people who work with them.
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.
Liv Carter

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