When Brett Eldredge says “get ready to go crazy right here” at the start of “Somethin’ I’m Good At,” he is not kidding.
When Eldredge first gained notoriety in the early 2010s with tracks like “Don’t Ya” and “Beat Of The Music,” he was just another fresh-faced singer cashing in on the Bro-Country wave. (In fact, I remember hearing that “Beat Of The Music” was the No. 1 of 2014 and thinking “Brett who?“) However, as time went on and Eldredge’s true talents became clear (the man turned out to have one of the best, more versatile voices in any genre), the singer seemingly set his sights on a prize much bigger than country music, and began pivoting towards a more pop-oriented, old-school crooner sound along the lines of Harry Connick Jr. (or even Frank freaking Sinatra). “Somethin’ I’m Good At” is a bold statement declaring that Eldredge’s transformation is complete, but one major question remains: Does he still sound good?
Production-wise, this song is primarily driven by a booming set of bass drums, with some electric guitars, tambourine, and even a banjo thrown into the mix as the song goes along. Both the traditional fiddle-and-steel combo and the current drum-machine trend are eschewed here, resulting in a song that sounds more like something out of a Broadway musical or Disney movie than something you’d hear on country song. (Seriously, it’s a horn section short of sounding like a 50s-variety-show throwback.) Despite this, however, the mix has a lot going for it: Its eclectic blend of instruments makes the song stand out from everything else on the radio, and the combination of the drums and the bright tones of the guitars (and especially the banjo) give the song a ton of positive energy, which is built up quickly and maintained throughout the entire song. If you want a challenge, try listening to this song without smiling or tapping your feet to the beat. You can’t do it—the song is just too much fun!
Vocally, Eldredge pulls off the most impressive performance I’ve heard in a long time. This song put him through a series of intense vocal gymnastics, and he manages to stick the landing every time. (Heck, this guy even’s got a good vocal tone when he screams.) He demonstrates his incredible range on command, shows off an above-average flow during the faster verbal portions, and generally puts the voices of everyone else in country music (except maybe Carrie Underwood) to shame. (Oh, and unlike Dustin Lynch, Eldredge sounds like he’s having an absolute blast on this song.)
Lyrically, the song details all the narrator’s failings and failures, but declares that making the woman in his life happy is the one thing he’s good at. The writing is sharp and witty throughout the song (my favorite line is the direction/affection rhyme that references Jack Daniels), and while a lesser artist might botch the delivery and come off looking like a total degenerate, Eldredge does an excellent job selling himself as a lovable loser whose antics would just draw a knowing eye roll from his partner.
Overall, “Somethin’ I’m Good At” is a wild, crazy ride that will brighten your day no matter how thick the clouds above your head are. While some purists will lament this isn’t really a country song, this track is way too much fun to engender the kind of backlash that, say, Sam Hunt’s “Body Like A Back Road” does. I thought Eldredge was decent before, but by embracing this bouncy, upbeat, swinging style of pop, I’d say that he, like the narrator in his song, has really found something he’s good at.
Rating: 8/10. Give this one a chance—you might be surprised at how much you enjoy it.
Kyle's Korner 