Rodney Atkins, ‘He’s Mine’ – Song Review

Rodney Atkins' new single, 'He's Mine,' is what happens when the boy from 'Watching You' grows up. The song borrows ideas from a number of the 'Take a Back Road' singer's previous hits; it should be a hit amongst fans of 'Cleaning This Gun' and 'These Are My People.'

The young boy finds trouble in the first verse, but Atkins' father takes ownership of the kid and deals with him properly. In the chorus we hear a little anger, but a whole lot of pride.

"And I said he's mine, that one / Got a wild hair side and then some / No surprise what he's done / He's every last bit of my old man's son / If you knew me then there'd be no question in your mine / You'd know he's mine."

It's a good concept for a song, but the second verse doesn't do enough to completely tell the story. "Limelight barely shined on him / But everyone still remembers when / He whooped on that boy way bigger / For taking that cheap shot on our little kicker / And they threw him out / Oh man, you should have heard me shout."

One is left craving a few more lines to round out the action, but instead Atkins repeats the chorus two more times and wraps it up. An effective bridge could have taken a good song to the next level. This was the safe choice for the follow-up to 'Take a Back Road' because it goes back to the formula that made Atkins a star three years ago.

Listen to Rodney Atkins, 'He's Mine'