But what's this - a Rascal Flatts song with honest and meaningful lyrics, engaging vocal harmonies, and balanced and tasteful pop-country production? Believe it, man. Making the jump over to Big Machine Records might have been a good call after all.
"Why Wait?" - I haven't heard such a loaded title hook since "Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You?" There's a lot of meaning packed into those two simple words, and there are endless situations in which such a question could be posed. In this case, it is posed by a man who wants to get hitched with his lover. While the songwriters do not attempt to re-write the works of Hemingway, they do manage to effectively tell a story, and to capture the emotions of the song's character.
The well-crafted lyrics soar over killer production. For once, producer Dann Huff has managed to strike a fine balance between contemporary country and rock elements. Fiddles and electric guitars sit comfortably side-by-side in an arrangement that is nothing less than excellent. In addition, this is the best that the boys' voices have sounded in years. Their signature three-part harmonies are fully intact and sounding great. There are no disastrous vocal acrobatics on Gary LeVox's part - rather, he does a fine job of channeling the song's joyful excitement into his delivery.
I haven't loved a Rascal Flatts song in forever, but for once, they seem to have gotten everything right. Could this spectacular track be indicative of a new music direction for the trio? If the Flatts were to release more great songs like this, it could go a long way toward making me a fan again.
THE FLATTS' SCORE: 10
(Scores are given on a scale of 1 to 10)
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