Big & Rich (Feat. Tim McGraw), ‘Lovin’ Lately’ [Listen]

Big & Rich tapped good friend Tim McGraw to sing on their new song "Lovin’ Lately," but the single would likely have done fine without him. Sharp storytelling and a strong bridge make this song the finest release yet from Gravity.

John Rich and Big Kenny Alphin penned the song with McGraw’s help and used his treatment for a music video. That’s even McGraw serving up drinks and advice behind the bar of the hole-in-the-wall saloon in rural middle Tennessee. The duo’s main character caught the blade of a breakup, and he’s paying for it with every conversation.

“Out with my friends and here it goes again / Somebody asks me where you're at / I don't know what to say, I've tried you everyday / It's been so long since you've called / I'll bet you're having a real good time / But I hate to think of what you're doing tonight / And who you're holding close, I don't really wanna know,” Big & Rich sing in their familiar harmonic style.

Mandolin, guitar and drums build the arrangement before a more powerful chorus that features McGraw: “Who you've been lovin' lately / Who you've been callin' baby / Who you've been runnin' around in this tell all town / I guess you've finally got the best of me / I guess you thought I'd never see / You know it's so hard to believe how we came down / Like we were nothin' baby, who you been lovin' lately?”

Giving Big & Rich credit for succeeding as an independently-recorded duo in Music City is overdue. They’ve done it by refining the best of a sound crafted over five different albums on Warner Brothers Nashville. The previous two singles from Gravity did fine on radio, and there’s no reason to believe “Lovin’ Lately” can’t become their first Top 5 in nine years.

Why Fans Will Love It: "Lovin' Lately" stays true to the two other hits from Big & Rich's Gravity album. Lyrically, it's amongst their finest.

Key Lyrics: "I guess you thought I'd never see / You know it's so hard to believe how we came down / Like we were nothin' baby, who you been lovin' lately."

Did You Know?: McGraw came up with the song's title and Big & Rich came up with the rest.

Listen to Big & Rich, “Lovin’ Lately”