Robin Meade, ‘Dirty Laundry’ – Song Review

Listen closely and you can hear Robin Meade winking throughout her debut single 'Dirty Laundry,' off of her new album 'Brand New Day,' available on June 21. It's a cover of the Don Henley song, and Meade sings it with conviction.

The irony of a newswoman covering this assault on the news industry makes this song worth a few listens. More than anything, it makes one want to tune in to CNN's 'Morning Express with Robin Meade' to explore more of her mischievous personality.

This isn't the song Meade told Taste of Country would be her first single, but she takes grip of the arrangement from the very beginning, never straying too far from the former Eagle's original. The opening chords are a mix of banjo and steel guitar that conjures images of a Middle Eastern folk circle. She tweaks a few lyrics to better fit her timeslot, but otherwise stays true to what fans already know: "I make my living off the morning news / Just give me something, something I can lose / People love it when you lose / They love dirty laundry."

The deeper into the song she gets, the more jaw-dropping this tongue in cheek jab at her industry becomes. "Can we film the operation / Is the head dead yet / You know the boys in the newsroom got a runnin' bet / Get the widow on the set / We need dirty laundry." One wonders how the head of CNN News will take the ribbing, and if the dedication to her music career could put her out of work. That seems doubtful, but not impossible.

This is a splendid cover, but in the end that's all it is. Like the best jokes, the laughs subside after a few listens. Meade is better than your average karaoke singer, and the addition of Kix Brooks on the "Kick 'em when they're up / Kick 'em when they're down" parts of the song give her a little more credibility. It's unlikely this song will propel her to the center stage at next year's LP Field shows during the CMA Music Festival, but it's certainly enough to pique curious minds when the full album is released on Tuesday.

Listen to Robin Meade, 'Dirty Laundry'