Coming hot on the heels of his latest album, ‘Standing Room Only,’ Tim McGraw today released a new 6 track EP called ‘Poet’s Resumé’ as a celebration of the title track of his last album getting to number one in the charts and as a ‘thank you’ to fans in the week of Thanksgiving.
McGraw shared a short note about ‘Poet’s Resumé’ on Instagram saying, “In the spirit of being thankful, I’m so grateful for all of you and the ways you have supported me, my family, and my music thru the years. Here’s a little surprise drop of a few songs you’ve never heard. Enjoy!”
We absolutely loved ‘Standing Room Only’ and if you keep an eye on our website and socials over the coming month you’ll see it figuring quite high in our end of year ‘Album of the Year’ ranking so we’re intrigued to see what the follow up is like. We decided to rank the songs on the EP in order of quality, from best to worst, with the caveat going into this challenge being that we fully appreciate that Tim McGraw’s perceived ‘worst’ might still be exceptional and much better than most artists’ best!
Runnin Outta Love
A classic, chugging guitars and tasteful, insistent drum-driven number that builds to an anthemic chorus redolent of the style and mood of recent album, ‘Standing Room Only.’ This is a radio single, pure-and-simple. It’s an evocative tribute to McGraw’s wife Faith, that is relatable to couples everywhere and is a made-for-arena. Those last few lines slay us too!!
Been Around a While
A Richard Marx-style piano and vibe open up this track before a moody, atmospheric song unfolds as McGraw sings about longevity, religion, love and friendship. Another song aimed squarely at people with some years behind them rather than the drunk 20 somethings on their way out to a Morgan Wallen gig! An anthemic, darker tone and huge singalong chorus that bleeds into a searing guitar solo makes this song a real highlight. BANGER!
Hurt People
A piano-driven ‘Humble and Kind’ style song in which McGraw states ‘Hope is the thread and faith is the needle,’ maybe that should be ‘faith’ with a capital F? It’s a lovely, melodic ballad about how we affect the people around us and what we can do to be better. Strings, piano and the vocals make this song an absolute ‘Tim McGraw classic’ that fans everywhere will love.
One Bad Habit
Uptempo arena drums and some tasteful electric guitars kick this one off as we find McGraw singing about his foibles and weaknesses compared to the strength and resilience that his wife brings to the marriage. ‘I’m the one bad habit I hope she never breaks,’ he sings as the drums and guitars propel the song forward with a little muscle towards a guitar solo that serves to uplift the song even further.
20 for 30
Another personal song as McGraw sings, ‘I’ve been 20 for 30 years or more,’ as all us over 50s nod our heads in agreement too! He reflects on his life, the ups and downs and the growth and journeys we all go on on this tasteful, sparse ballad that relies mainly on the melody of McGraw’s vocals and the impactful nature of the lyrics. Thoughtful, mature and another look at Faith and Tim’s marriage as it was and is right now.
Poets’ Resumé
A mid-tempo, acoustic song perfectly designed to close down the EP in which McGraw charts the journey of a songwriter heading out west to follow his dreams. He loses his girlfriend along the way in a sort of ‘Star is Born’ kind of tale. ‘Fine line between free and being lonely,’ McGraw opines as he reflects on the inspirations that songwriters use to generate their ideas. ‘Everybody loves him but no-one ever stays,’ he sings as we get a look behind the curtain of the industry on a lovely song with a wistful, ephemeral vibe.
‘Poets Resumé’ sees Tim McGraw continuing the fecund, fertile creative streak that helped birth the excellent ‘Standing Room Only’ album. There isn’t a ‘bad’ song on this EP anywhere to be found and all of the songs have something interesting to say to people with a few years in the tank and a few lines on their faces. It’s a tasteful, thoughtful look at life, relationships and ageing with the weight of all McGraw’s wisdom behind it. Long may this streak continue!
