Story by LB Rogers / Contributing Writer
After sharing a few tours, a couple singles and a 21-year marriage, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have finally released a duet album. The 12-track collaborative album entitled “The Rest of Our Life” delivers endearing romance and boundless depth with the richest male and female harmonies country music has heard in a while.
The album kicks off with McGraw’s vocals and descending piano notes to back him in the title track, “The Rest of Our Life.” The song seems to illustrate the couple’s gracefully aging relationship with lyrics like “I’ll be fine if one gray hair shows … We’ll stay young for the rest of our lives.”
Feeding off the romantic vibe of “The Rest of Our Life,” the tempo gets kicked up a notch for the next track, a feel-good tune called “Telluride.” Interestingly enough, McGraw recorded a song of the same title back in 2001 for his album “Set This Circus Down.” This one has a fun, head-bobbing beat and a flow of cutesy lyrics about being a wandering soul.
Perhaps the album’s most impressive element is the rich and intentional harmonies between Hill and McGraw. One vocal lifts the other so seamlessly, which makes songs like “The Bed We Made” and “Cowboy Lullaby” give off a much more romantic and epic vibe. The songwriting paints a vivid picture, while their vocals provide the songs their color.
Already appearing to be a fan-favorite is the duet “Break First.” This huge song is packed with orchestral electric guitar, pounding drums, intense vocals and even more intense and yearnful songwriting, saying, “You and me, baby, who’s going to break first?”
Just when you think “The Rest of Our Life” is going to stick to only love songs, McGraw and Hill punch with songs like “Love Me to Lie” and “Sleeping in the Stars.” One about an ending relationship and the other about death, both are delivered tenderly and in their rawest form.
Released as a single earlier in the year and performed initially at the Academy of Country Music Awards in April, “Speak to a Girl” is a timely reminder of the importance of respect toward women with lyrics like “That’s how you talk to a woman and that’s how you speak to a girl.” The single cracked the top 10 on the Billboard Country Charts upon its release.
“Damn Good at Holding On” and “Devil Calling Me Back” are destined to be live performance favorites, which fans can see on the extended Soul2Soul tour. The tour, which was originally planned to run from April to October, will carry on throughout the summer months of 2018 for more than 20 additional dates.
“The Rest of Our Life” is a fantastic record; the tracks are on point, the production is crisp and the harmonies are seamless.
Tickets for the 2018 leg are on sale now. For more information, click here.
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