This is the dumbest little silly song I’ve heard in quite some time. So why can’t I stop smiling?
Country radio will give a debut #1 to just about anyone these days, but avoiding the “sophomore slump” afterwards has proven to be a tall task for a lot of new artists. Russell Dickerson, however, managed to scale the Billboard airplay mountain once again (albeit slowly) with “Blue Tacoma,” a generic, poorly-produced driving song that he managed to will across the finish line. Dickerson is his own best advocate at this point, and he show it on his third single “Every Little Thing,” a pointless, nonsensical song that is nevertheless the most fun thing I’ve heard on the radio in months.
The production here is sure to make traditionalists cringe when they hear it, but the synergy it has with Dickerson is a huge step up from “Blue Tacoma.” It opens with a drum set borrowed from LANco’s “Born To Love You,” but quickly settles into it main groove of artificial snap percussion and lighthearted whistle/dobro riff, with something (banjo? ukelele? the dobro again?) methodically keeping time in the background. It’s all pretty light and restrained…until a set of heavy electric guitar stabs kick in on the chorus, and a brighter electric guitar jumps to provide some background support and a rocking solo. There is absolutely no way this should all work, and yet the mix manages to create a fun, carefree atmosphere that’s surprisingly catchy, overloading the listener’s happiness glands until they just have to get up and dance along. No, it’s not really romantic, but a playful vibe like this one is the next best thing for a love song, especially when it’s got this much energy behind it. I’m tempted to say the producer just lucked into this one after their subpar performance on “Blue Tacoma,” but hey, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.
Apparently Dickerson heard me when I said he “seems to lack that extra something to make me care about…such a overdone topic” in my last review, because he stepped up and brought it this time. He shows off an easy, effortless delivery that goes from high to low with no trouble at all, and his flow is solid from start to finish. The biggest thing, however, is just how much energy and enjoyment Dickerson brings to the table. The man sounds like he’s having an absolute blast on this track, and he just can’t wait to share his good fortune with the audience. Instead of being so serious about how deep his feelings are, he takes the fun, playful route to romance that’s not as prevalent on the radio, but can be super effective when executed properly (see: Midland’s “Make A Little”). In short, Dickerson found that “extra something” on this track, which can only mean good things for him going forward.
The lyrics are…hey, did I mention how great the production and vocals are here? It’s a good thing, because the lyrics are the most bizarre, random collection of sentences I’ve heard all year. The basic gist is that the narrator is head-over-heels in love with their partner, and they’re grasping at ways to explain just how deep their feelings are. However, the comparisons they use range from generic (“endless August summer,” “easy like Sunday morning,” “24-carat goodness”) to just plain weird (he compares the woman to Alabama, Seattle, and Sonoma?), and the choruses are beyond repetitive:
‘Cause I love every little, every little, every little thing about her love
Just a little, just little, just a little ain’t enough
Gotta get a, gotta get a, get a little more of all she does
I’m all hung up
‘Cause I love every little, every little, every little thing about her love
Seriously, did it really take three songwriters to put this together? It’s a good thing Dickerson and the producer laid the good feelings on think enough to make the listener say “Lyrics? Who cares about the lyrics?” because there isn’t a lot to care about here.
“Every Little Thing” is basically Russell Dickerson saying “To heck with it: I feel good, and I’m going to let the world know about it,” and amazingly, that was enough to make it the best of the three recent love songs I’ve reviewed in the past few days. Unlike Garth Brooks and Luke Combs, Dickerson and his producer discard any pretense of this being a serious song about serious emotions, make the song a rollicking good time full of energy and passion, and are better off for doing so. There are a lot of newer acts in country music that I’m not particularly thrilled with, but between this song and “Yours,” I’m surprisingly intrigued about Dickerson’s future potential.
Rating: 7/10. Give this a spin if you’re having a bad day. Heck, do it if you’re having a good day too!
Kyle's Korner 