Wednesday, December 29, 2010

The Band Perry, "You Lie"

On The Band Perry's new single "You Lie," Kimberly Perry displays a sassy attitude that would make Jo Dee and Shania proud, backed up by an infectious country-meets-bluegrass-meet-pop arrangement that sounds rootsy and modern at the same time.

Though the song happens to share a title with a classic Reba hit, the mood and tempo could hardly be more different.  Kimberly minces no words as she confronts her lyin', cheatin' man.  "Don't bring me those big brown eyes and tell me that you're sorry," she admonishes, while also deprecating the young woman with whom he cheated.  "I bet she had a curfew," she sneers.

The song reaches a peak near the end when Kimberly's character declares that she will "drive to the big ol' muddy river, park my car in the middle of a mile-long bridge... Cry maybe just a little," and then "slip off the ring that you put on my finger, give it a big ol' fling and watch it sink down, down down.  And there it's gonna lie until the Lord comes back around."  The thumping of a barroom piano hammers home her determination to end the ill-fated romance for good.

We see a character who is vulnerable enough to let her emotions show, but who refuses to tolerate the betrayal of cheating.  The story is tied together with a competent and nuanced lead vocal, not to mention super-cool production replete with fierce fiddle and mandolin.  All in all, this is arguably The Band Perry's best single yet.

THE BAND PERRY'S SCORE:  9
(Scores are given on a scale of 1 to 10)

HEAR IT