CD Review: Southern Voice – Tim McGraw

15 years ago Liv Carter Comments Off on CD Review: Southern Voice – Tim McGraw


Tim McGraw – Southern Voice (Curb, 2009)

After it spending two years in cold storage, Tim McGraw finally gets to share this CD with the world. ‘Southern Voice’ sees the return of Tim’s road band The Dancehall Doctors and was recorded not long after the passing of Tim’s stepfather. It was a time for reflection on the brevity of life, parental relationships and what is really important. The song selection reflects this and has resulted in a, mostly, dark album.

The album kicks off with ‘Still’ in which we are reminded that most of the things we want are easy to get if we can just let modern stresses fall away and get quiet enough. At first listen ‘Ghost Town Train’ might seem like just another tale of broken heart woe but Tim’s delivery turns it into something much more interesting.

Father-son relationships are explored in two ways. ‘Love You Goodbye’ tells the story of a teenage son who chooses to leave his fractured family and reconciles many years later. Coming from anyone else, this would be overly sentimental but those familiar with Tim’s own story will recognize it’s relevance. Though I do find ‘You Had to Be There’ much more captivating for its lack of redemption. Maybe there is no happy ending here but choices can still have consequences many years later and Tim is not afraid of making this very clear.

Reflecting on whether our choices are showing us we are living our lives right is the subject of ‘If I Died Today’, ‘I Didn’t Know it at the Time’, and to some extent of ‘Forever Seventeen’ and ‘I’m Only Jesus’, the latter ending in a massive guitar solo that shows why having the DHDs here is such a good thing.

Right from the start of his career Tim has alternated between lighthearted fare and heavyhanded material so it is not surprising this is the case here. But it is unfortunate that the first two tracks released to radio are exactly those of the more fluffy variety. ‘It’s a Business Doing Pleasure with You’ is a vintage piece of McGraw (with shades of ‘I Like it, I Love It’) and other than being, like its lead character, quite shallow, there is not much wrong with it. Title track ‘Southern Voice’ is the kind of song I wish people would stop writing. A bunch of cliches put to sing the praises of ‘southernness’ are just everywhere these days. It might be popular stuff but this album, and Tim himself actually, is worthy of more.

With the maturity in his voice, Tim is at his best when telling other people’s stories. The waltzy ‘Mr Whoever You Are’ has a woman finding fleeting solace in the arms of dancepartners in her local bar and it flows along on a river of melancholy. Truly dark is the harsh tale of two best friends sharing a man in ‘Good Girls’, ending in a tragic murder-suicide. It’s Tim at his emotional storytelling best.

‘Southern Voice’ is mature, confident, and very deep. The topics covered fit Tim McGraw perfectly and the production fits the songs equally well. The live-on-stage tightness can only be achieved with a group of musicians who have a long history together and I really wish more artists would record with their road band (yes, that means you, Keith Urban).

Somber it may be but it is never unnecessarily so, Tim earns every bit of the right to sing about all this pain, sadness and regret. ‘Southern Voice’ is a wonderful contemporary country record showcasing good songwriting, great musicianship and the ability to truly make you Feel.

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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