“Nobody” is an accurate description of how many people were waiting for Dylan Scott to come back.
Scott’s 15 minutes of fame came and went with 2016’s “My Girl,” and after “Hooked” took over a year just to reach #2 on Billboard’s airplay chart (which is still tied for the longest chart climb, although Jimmie Allen is now threatening that mark), “Nothing To Do Town” wasted forty-plus weeks just to earn a laughable #32 peak. There’s always another trend for artists like Scott to hop on to, however, and with Boyfriend country having a brief moment (although I’m getting the feeling said moment may have already passed), Scott and Curb Records decided the time was right to drop the reheated love song “Nobody” as the second single from his Nothing To Do Town EP. The song is a generic, repetitive snoozefest that doesn’t justify the existence of either the song on the radio or Scott in Nashville.
You can probably already guess what this song sounds like: A deep-throated piano (serious song alert!) opens the track and drives the melody, Grady Smith’s favorite clap track anchors the production (the real drums are here, but don’t get as much screen time), and outside of some spacious electric guitars and keyboards floating around in the background of the chorus, that’s pretty much all you get. There’s a positive vibe to the mix despite the darker piano tones, but there’s no feeling or energy behind it, keeping it sound from feeling terribly romantic or passionate. The arrangement’s slower tempo and simple construction causes the song to bog down under its own weight, and it fails to capture or hold the listener’s attention. In short, this is a mix that just seems to exist, and its limited impact on the song ends up limiting the song’s impact on the listener.
Much like the sound, Scott comes across as nothing more than a placeholder on the track, winding up behind the mic simply there were no better options available. He’s still got some decent depth in the lower range of his voice, but he never seems to escape that depth even though the song doesn’t restrict him in any way. He gives me the impression that he’s intentionally holding himself back for some reason, but the approach hinders his delivery because the lack of any sort of passion and power makes Scott feel emotionally uninvested in the song (and if he doesn’t really care, why should we?). It’s a lifeless performance that pushes the audience to tune out rather than tune in, and even Scott clears the hurdle of making us think he truly cares about the other person, he fails to make us care about his caring. It’s the sort of song that would sound the same with anyone from Nashville’s faceless male artist assembly line in the booth, and honestly, at least someone else might have brought a bit more personality and passion to the table.
The lyrics here, which are nothing more than yet another age-old cookie-cutter love-you-forever story, get really repetitive really quickly, thanks mostly to the chorus:
Girl nobody, nobody, nobody gonna love you like I do
Yeah nobody, nobody, nobody gonna love you like I do
I’mma love you till the good lord comes back for me and you
Yeah nobody, nobody, nobody gonna love you like I do
Sheer poetry, eh? I’d be surprised if it took longer than five minutes to write this drivel.
The scenes here are…well, there really aren’t many scenes at all, and we do see is all stock footage, from the leering crowds at the bar to the narrator’s ability to concoct a favorite beverage or trigger any emotion. (On top of this, the song overstays its welcome badly: It drops off naturally at the end of the bridge, but then launches into an extra chorus rendition that “Nobody” asked for.) Every inch of ground here has been plowed a hundred times before, and the song’s only saving graces are a) the lack of objectification of the other person, and b) its ability to make people stop caring before the second verse finishes.
“Nobody” is just another song by just another singer that threatens to clog up the airwaves when there is so much better stuff to listen to right now. The production is generic, Dylan Scott’s vocals are uninspired, and the writing is formulaic and lazy. It’s only redeeming factor is how much wordplay fun you can have with the title: “Nobody” was chomping at the bit waiting for this song to drop, “Nobody” will give two you-know-whats when they hear it, and “Nobody” will miss it when it’s gone.
Rating: 5/10. Listen to Sylvia’s “Nobody” instead:
Kyle's Korner 