Monday, April 11, 2011

Blake Shelton, "Honey Bee"

"This might come out a little crazy, a little sideways, yeah maybe..."

Thanks for that warning, Blake, though I don't think anything could have prepared me for the sheer lameness of these lyrics.

"You'll be my [soft and sweet/ glass of wine/ sunny day/ honeysuckle], I'll be your [strong and steady/ shot of whiskey/ shade tree/ honey bee]."  

What could be more romantic than three and a half minutes of endless variations on that not-particularly-clever formula?

"Yeah, that came out a little country..."

Of course.  Time to plug the country boy image again.

"But every word was right on the money."

Seriously?  I might have to disagree there.

"Now hold on 'cause I ain't done..."

Good Lord, what next?  Now she'll be your little Loretta, and you'll be her Conway Twitty?

Blake's new single has a pleasant groove to it, but it's hard to get over the fact that the lyrics are essentially about nothing.  Few of the 'You be my this; I'll be your that' pairings offer a clear portrayal of the relationship the song describes, and most of them aren't even all that interesting in the first place.  That leaves the song seeming awfully repetitive and boring.

Ever wonder if an artist's commercial success in inversely proportional to the quality of his music? (It hardly seems fitting to use such big words in discussing such a dull and simple song, but please bear with me) Jamey Johnson becomes a critic's favorite - Country radio tosses him out.  On the other hand, Blake Shelton has finally become an automatic add on country radio, but only after his material has taken a definite turn for the worse.  "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking" seemed to be a sign of progress, but "Honey Bee" is an enormous step backwards.  Obviously, radio will reward it anyway, but it surely won't be the first time country radio has displayed poor taste.

BLAKE'S SCORE:  4
(Scores are given on a scale of 1 to 10)

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