Tim McGraw wrote his new album, Southern Voice, in the fall of 2006 after the death of his stepfather. So, as can be expected, the album is riddled with sorrow and deals with subjects like death, regret and abandonment.

Songs such as “I Love You, Goodbye” and “You Had To Be There” focus on the subject of a father abandoning his family. “I’m Only Jesus” addresses weighty issues like suicide and drugs.

The feel of this album is a nice change compared to the peppy sound of McGraw’s older hits, such as “Somethin’ Like That” and “I Like It, I Love It,” but the downfall of Southern Voice comes when McGraw tries to do exactly that.

The title track is a reflection of every stereotype of country music there is. The lyrics are predictable and almost seem like a mockery of the country genre. “It’s A Business Doin’ Pleasure With You” isn’t much better, facing the same lyrical problems. Ironically, these two songs are the first two “hits” from the album.

There is some deep musical value in the album Southern Voice, you just have to dig a little deeper than the title track to find it.