David Nail, "Let It Rain"

Thus far, David Nail's radio offerings have generally shared one common strength - a strong and focused vocal performance - as well as one common flaw - bombastic production.  The critical point is often whether or not the song itself is coherent enough to overcome the flaw while highlighting the strength.  We definitely found that to be the case with his previous hit "Turning Home."  "Red Light"?  Not so much.

"Let It Rain" isn't the first country song to tackle a theme of cheating and heartbreak, nor is it the first to use rain as a metaphor.  But an important part of what makes the song work is its inclusion of personalized details that flesh out the story, which helps the song to distinguish itself from the many other variations of the same theme.  David reveals the cause of his heartache - a happy marital relationship shattered by one regrettable night of unfaithfulness.  "Seven years of good can't hide the one night I forgot to wear that ring," he laments.

The melancholy lyric draws out a powerful and emotive vocal from David.  To his credit, he is able to cut through the loud pop-country production without resorting to wild and unwieldy LeVox-esque vocal theatrics.  Another major plus is the audible sound of Sarah Buxton's distinct and beautiful voice on background vocals, which contrasts nicely against David's smooth and masculine lead vocal. 

It's not without it's weaknesses, but a solid lyric and a believable performance make this single an overall success.

DAVID'S SCORE:  7
(Scores are given on a scale of 1 to 10)

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