Song Review: Justin Moore, “Somebody Else Will”

Fresh off of the success of his No. 1 hit “You Look Like I Need A Drink,” Justin Moore has announced that “Somebody Else Will” will be the next single from his album Kinda Don’t Care.

I’ve been on the fence with regard to Moore’s music thus far. Although he has the ability to produce great singles (the best being “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away”), most of his output involves empty bravado and forgettable clichés about life in the sticks. “Drink” seemed to fall on the better side of this spectrum, combining his usual rock-inspired sound with sort-of-witty songwriting that touched on more traditional country subject matter. “Somebody Else Will,” however, appears to be Moore’s attempt at blending said rock-inspired sound with the synthetic “Metro-Politan” trends that have permeated country music over the last year or two, and the results leave me…well, back on the fence.

Foundationally, the song has a lot of things going for it. While the production does not resemble traditional country music in any way—lots of drum machines, no fiddles or pedal steel—the tune is catchy and the beat has a decent groove to it. (It will, however, be a bit jarring for those familiar with Moore’s previous work, in the same way that “Burnin’ It Down” was a stark departure from Jason Aldean’s past singles.) Moore’s delivery and flow are generally solid, although his voice wavers when he tries to use his upper range with any sort of volume, and he has enough charisma to make the song feel authentic and believable.

Lyrically, the song is nothing special: A guy sees a girl he likes, and he immediately breaks out his pick-up lines on her because if he doesn’t, “somebody else will.” It’s nothing we haven’t heard a hundred times before—in fact, Thomas Rhett did a much better job covering the exact same topic on “Get Me Some Of That” several years ago.

So what sets Rhett’s song apart from Moore’s? In a word, tone. On “Somebody Else Will,” Moore falls into the same trap that Aldean is forever stuck in: Taking a subject that should be more upbeat and lighthearted, and treating it way too seriously. Moore sings this song like this woman is his verylastchanceever to find happiness, and he needs to go and talk to her rightthisverymoment before someone else steals her away forever. The minor chords and loud guitars that pop up on the chorus only add to the song’s sense of urgency. (One can easily imagine the woman in the song being put off by how strong the man comes on, leaving him to sing Cole Swindell’s “Middle Of A Memory” after she leaves.) Rhett, in contrast, spends his song celebrating (and admittedly objectifying) the object of his affection, and the song reflects the good time that both characters are supposed to be having.

Altogether, this isn’t a bad song, but it could have been better, and there were definitely stronger single choices available on Kinda Don’t Care (the title track, for a start). If you’re okay with Nashville’s Metropolitan movement, however, you’ll probably still enjoy it.

Rating: 6/10. Try it before you buy it.