Coffee in the morning, juice during the day, something stronger in the evening…
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[6.50]
Thomas Inskeep: A stately, powerful ballad befitting a legend such as McEntire, produced with a deft hand by Buddy Cannon (most well known for producing Kenny Chesney, and many recent Willie Nelson albums), “Stronger Than the Truth” doesn’t shout its presence; it doesn’t need to. This is McEntire with her volume (but not her lungs) turned down to “subtle,” allowing the lyric here to breathe and get its point across. Pun unintended: her strongest single in years.
[8]
Joshua Minsoo Kim: The tragedy of this infidelity is intensely felt because of the first verse. It sets up this portrait of someone whose long-held desire for a “simple life” is predicated on risk-aversion and minimal amounts of unpredictability. The crumbling of a marriage thus becomes a tearing of one’s sense of reality, an upending of one’s entire life. “There’s no whiskey stronger than the truth,” sings Reba. Still, she knows it’ll make things a little more bearable.
[6]
Alfred Soto: Put-Upon Reba is Strong Reba. Playing a small town simple wife whose husband cheats on her, she savors the lyrics as if they were were memories no one can pry loose. She’s done better and commissioned better, but today it’ll do.
[7]
Jonathan Bradley: Reba affords this sudden dissolution of a marriage all the care she gave to a more drawn-out version of the same in “Whoever’s in New England” three decades ago, but “Stronger Than the Truth” lacks the fine-hewn detail that would make her care worthwhile. Songwriters should beware: brown liquor alone won’t turn every sodden country ballad into “Whiskey Lullaby.” McEntire can still produce impressive work — it should not have been a surprise how great “Going Out Like That” was, for instance — but “Stronger” is not girded strong enough.
[5]
David Sheffieck: The territory’s been well-trod — including by Reba herself — but production that stays just the right side of sappy and a lyric that leans on familiar tropes without tipping too far into cliché give a vet like her just the foundation she needs. This is a song that works almost entirely because of the singer; Reba’s inimitable vocal is packed with emotion and as powerful now as ever. Maybe she’s not telling us anything new, but she’s so good at the telling it’s hard for me to fault her for it.
[7]
Iris Xie: Her phrasing in “There’s not a blade sharper than a lie” is expertly done, and held delicately with such resigned knowledge. And that punch of a chorus: “Oh, you got a brand new start with someone new/And there’s no whiskey stronger than the truth.” Ouch. I feel like I need to take a drink in solidarity after listening to this song; I just feel really bad for her.
[6]