Single Review: Give – LeAnn Rimes

14 years ago Liv Carter 1

Songwriter: LeAnn Rimes

For the first release since last year’s ‘Crazy Women’, LeAnn Rimes opted for a self-penned power ballad. Everything about new single ‘Give’ suggests this was the right choice.

A simple message is best conveyed by a simple song. ‘Give’ is a retreading of the ‘you have to give to get’ philosophy with lyrics which are direct and uncomplicated; the best way to get the point across. If you want to get love then give it//if you want forgiveness then you gotta let go//and do some forgiving of your own, Rimes declares in the chorus. It is by no means a new message but when conveyed as well as it is here, any risk of sounding generic dissipates leaving only the sincerity with which she vocalizes it. Clearly having written from personal experience and with a little more life behind her, Rimes is able to interpret words like I’ve had a shoulder to lean on//been the one who had to be strong//and peace was waiting at both ends, with a maturity and confidence I had not heard from her before.

The production, the work of Vince Gill and Darrell Brown, is both beautiful and functional. The heavier instruments (guitar, piano) are not allowed to tower over the lighter (steel, percussion) but all weave through the track in harmony. They up the ante for the chorus just enough and leave the vocals one step ahead, never forcing Rimes to sing against the production which is all too often the case with songs like this.

With this personal, message-driven ballad, LeAnn Rimes could very well find herself back at country radio. And I hope the Grammy Board considering the country vocal performances is paying attention too. ‘Give’ is a very strong single which is pretty close to perfect in all the areas that matter.

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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