Yep, it’s (Relatively, Anyway) Old-Timers’ Wednesday…
[Video]
[6.00]
Megan Harrington: I like Darius Rucker. I like that he really does cry at sports, and I believe him. “If I Told You” is an inverted “Let Her Cry” that asks you to let Darius Rucker feel his feelings without revoking your love. There’s an unpleasantly herky-jerky meter at work (the means to his confessional ends), but like his intermittent jealousy and measured craziness, it’s not a deal breaker.
[7]
Iain Mew: The country trappings don’t stop this from sounding like Adele-via-James Arthur, but at least a scrap more genuine vulnerability gets through here than the latter.
[5]
Thomas Inskeep: Wow. It’s very rare to hear a single about poor self-esteem and questioning one’s self in the context of a relationship — and it’s basically unheard of a country single. Rucker’s honeyed baritone sings of uncertainty, of hoping that one’s partner will still wanna stick around even after hearing “some things you probably don’t want to hear/but you have to.” Frank Rogers provides a rich, warm production, sweetened with piano, and Rucker sings the hell out of these pained lyrics. The older he gets (he turns 51 this week), the richer his voice becomes, and paired with a song like this, the combination is magical.
[10]
Edward Okulicz: The verses have too many words, and Rucker’s too earnest to get away with the awkward scansion and confession. His plaintive reading of the chorus is more sympathetic, and plays to his strengths. I docked a point because the first thing I thought of from the opening piano chords was Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know.”
[5]
Jessica Doyle: I wanted to like this — his delivery is both smooth and heartfelt — but I have less patience than I used to with the romantic hero who offers confession as a substitute for resolution. There’s a certain pride in lines like “There’s no fixin’ me / ‘Cause everybody’s already tried” that does not bode well for the give-and-take of an actual relationship. (The promise that he’s going to stay with his beloved in her hometown despite his own need to go elsewhere is particularly unromantic: let’s stay together, girl, and I promise you silent resentment!) And damn if the video doesn’t bring this song down. Look, if you’re going to have sad-eyed models run around the city in various states of undress while having no apparent interaction with the older male singer, do it right.
[3]
Alfred Soto: Nothing special in this plaint except Rucker’s hushed, frightened delivery of the chorus and rushed delivery of the verses. Get ready, folks: Adam Levine’ll collaborate with Alan Jackson in about five years, then we’ll admit we underrated him as a vocalist.
[6]