Single Review: “Somebody Needs A Hug” by Keith Anderson
I was interested to see what Keith would do with the release of a smash like “I Still Miss You”. I was expecting him to ditch the rock-n-roll persona and go with something more powerful, try to stick with what seems to be working for him. I was wrong. I’ve seen Keith in concert and he does his best on stage when he tackles country/rock crossovers, but it’s songs like this that are much better for that stage presence than for radio.
Keith brings back his country/rock sound with probably one of the least compatible radio songs on his playlist. Throughout the song Keith tries to calm a woman, his lover apparently, who has had a bad day. In response to her offensive responses to his attempt to help, something he plainly expects, he comes right out to use one of the most cliched lines in history “somebody needs a hug”. And that is where the song goes wrong. The whole message is a cliche in itself and comes off as only mildly hilarious. As an entertainment song it lacks much of the charisma that Keith shows off on stage for these types of songs.
If comedy is truly what the writers were after they failed miserably, and if fun and excitement is what Keith was trying to get from this it comes off as only mildly enjoyable. This song may be a great song for the stage, but it’s far from the best he has to offer to radio from his latest album, far from it in fact.
Listen: www.myspace.com/keithanderson
Grade: C
