Tim McGrawNot A Moment Too Soon(Curb Records, 1994) by Sandra L. Toney Just a year ago, I had never heard of country singer, Tim McGraw. In a very short time, McGraw's album, Not A Moment Too Soon, not only reached number one on the country charts, but it reached that spot on the pop charts as well. Not A Moment Too Soon is McGraw's second album and the smash single, "Indian Outlaw," is what brought this struggling country star into the country music limelight. This upbeat, great-to- dance-to song started a whole new type of stardom for the outlaw named Tim McGraw. McGraw, however, proved himself not to be a "one-hit wonder." Four other smash hits followed "Indian Outlaw," and I predict many more singles from this album will keep McGraw's Not A Moment Too Soon a regular visitor on the charts for some time. Currently climbing the charts is the delightful, fun song, "Refried Dreams," which tells about a man being left by his woman and heading south until he ends up in Mexico "living on refried dreams." And, if his girlfriend did all the cooking (as most of us DO), then he is probably living on refried beans as well! Another hit for McGraw was the single, "Don't Take the Girl," which is about a little boy not wanting his dad to take a little "girl" fishing with them as he whines, "Daddy, pleeeaaase don't take the girl." The song continues with the boy growing up, the girl becoming his girlfriend, his wife, and eventually the mother of his child. In each phase of their lives, the girl is threatened by something or someone and McGraw's whiny voice kicks in "Don't take the girl." I must admit, although the song was a huge hit, that whining voice, which McGraw does better than anyone, gives me that same feeling as when somebody runs their fingernails across a chalkboard. "YIKES!" Not A Moment Too Soon exhibits a respectable mix of upbeat tunes and tear-jerking ballads. The reckless single, "It Doesn't Get Any Countrier Than This," and the touching song, "Wouldn't Want It Any Other Way," are sure to be hits for the rising star, Tim McGraw (although "Wouldn't Want It Any Other Way" has a hint of an occasional "whine" in it). The funnest song of the album is the hit single, "Down on the Farm," which lets us know what it is like to live there, "Every Friday night there's a steady cloud of dust that leads back to a field filled with pickup trucks/Got ole' Hank crankin' way up loud/Got coolers in the back, tailgates down/There's a big fire burnin' but don't be alarmed/It's just country boys and girls gettin' down on the farm." It almost makes me want to kick up my boots and throw my cowboy hat in the air (if I owned a cowboy hat, that is)! The title cut, "Not A Moment Too Soon," is a beautiful ballad that demonstrates a new facet to McGraw's unusual voice. It was a perfect selection for McGraw because it actually describes the incredible story of his whirlwind success, "Not a moment too soon/Without a minute to spare/ You touched my heart when I didn't have a prayer/In my darkest hour/With my world filled with gloom/Your sweet love saved me/Not a moment too soon." For all of McGraw's loyal fans, however, he indeed came along "NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON!" For comments or suggestions, you can e-mail the author, Sandra Toney, at: stoney@dialin.ind.net Or you can leave a message to Sandra at "The Writer's Edge BBS" at (219) 935-9440; BBS calling hours are 6pm to 10 am Eastern Standard Time. |
Not a Moment
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