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Hit Single Goes For The Heart
photo by :
Kelley Sweet |
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Just as McMahon’s piano resonates with sparing deliberation from
the beginning of the song, superstar Tim McGraw delivers the heartfelt
message of “Drugs or Jesus” with convincing simplicity and
sincerity.
“In anyone else's voice, a song like "Drugs Or Jesus"
would be just plain bad,” said Thom Jurek from All Music Guide.
“The tune itself is solid, beautifully constructed, a perfect marriage
of melody, hook and a direct, simple lyric. But the temptation to over
perform such a song is irresistible to most of the hit factory's mainstays.
Not McGraw. His understatement underscores the lyric's seriousness.”
And many agreed. The song was Billboard’s fastest-rising
single the first week following its debut on the Country Singles chart.
Following the success of the lightly nostalgic #1 single “Back When,”
“Drugs or Jesus” showcases a more serious and evocative side
of the celebrated superstar that his fans embrace.
“Tim loves these kinds of songs, songs that really say something,”
says keyboardist and background vocalist Jeff McMahon. “Don’t
get me wrong. He likes to get onstage and play around. But he also looks
for songs that reflect something more, something that digs a little deeper.
It’s important to Tim that he keep reaching.”
McGraw has been quick to note that recording with McMahon and the rest
of his road band, the Dancehall Doctors, helps him to improve more as
a singer. He talks at length about how he feels his singing has become
more honest through their collaborations.
Here is what radio consultant Steve Warren had to say about the song,
McGraw, and McMahon’s contribution to the hit single in his regular
report called The Blue Sheet:
| I see a title like that [“Drugs or Jesus”] and my
first response is a cringe. People just don't like being preached
to by records, for the most part. You got your preachers and you got
your musicians. And if you got preachin' musicians, they got their
own format. But sometimes, sometimes a spiritual message is communicated
in such an original, pristine manner that it becomes transcendent,
occupies a space not filled before. This is a remarkable work. Elton
John-ish with the piano work, like Elton in the early 70s when he
was pure and new. And the lyric is as good as the writing of Bernie
Taupin at his best. |
photo by : Dean Brown |
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The accolades continued as McGraw and his boys performed the hit song
at The 40th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas,
Nevada on May 17, 2005. Their televised performance wowed the audience,
garnering a standing ovation from the crowd of both industry peers and
supportive fans.
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