Brett Eldredge, ‘It Ain’t Gotta Be Love’ – Song Review

Country newcomer Brett Eldredge bounces back from a poignant hit song about dementia with a care-free "I'll love you for the night" rocker. The 'Raymond' singer wisely avoids typecasting himself as sentimental on the uptempo, bad boy quickie 'It Ain't Gotta Be Love,' but may go too far in the other direction. The song is fun and easy, but doesn't dig deep enough to allow one to finish painting the picture.

"Can I bum a light from you baby / If you let me I'll buy you a round / Sure is packed, is that seat taken / Do you mind if I sit down," Eldredge sings to begin the song. The crunchy guitar lines give the track a little life, but lyrically there isn't enough description to satisfy. The second and final verse is similarly flat.

"No pressure, let your hair down baby / We can take it slow / Your name and what you're drinking is all I need to know." Only an emotional trainwreck would fall prey to these generic pickup lines. The chorus is catchy, and does more to finish the story than either verse. "It's time to get a little weekend crazy / There's no need to make it all that tough / We ain't jumpin' off the deep end baby / It ain't gotta be love / No, it ain't gotta be love."

Ultimately, Eldredge succeeds at proving he's a man of varying emotions, but 'It Ain't Gotta' Be Love' doesn't resonate as well as 'Raymond' (or any other hit song) does. It's easy to listen to, and even enjoyable, but it fails to stick between the folds of the brain like great songs do. Instead it sort of rattles around in the ear drum for awhile, before falling out in one's sleep.

Preview Brett Eldredge's 'It Ain't Gotta Be Love'