Dan + Shay have oft been compared to Rascal Flatts, and for good reason; their music and narrative themes practically mirror the popular noughties trio, and their voices are just as high and light at Gary LeVox’s. They dress similarly too, with perhaps the only distinction being that Dan + Shay are generally more attractive than the Flatts ever were (even when they were young, they always looked a bit too chubby and awkward to be a real hit with teen girls, and nowadays? The less said about that the better). As Rascal Flatts are now past their commercial peak and their singles are less and less successful, Dan + Shay are perfectly primed to take over that sweet, saccharine country pop love song style, with an image that primes them as attractive but also great boyfriend material (after all, they love puppies). It’s a slam dunk.
‘From The Ground Up’ is the lead single from Dan + Shay’s upcoming sophomore project, and it continues where they left off with ‘Where It All Began’. It’s once again a love song, but this time they’re focusing on the wedding market, similarly to how Lee Brice took ‘I Don’t Dance’ to #1 and how Krystal Keith enjoyed a brief moment in the spotlight with ‘Daddy Dance With Me’. ‘From The Ground Up’ never explicitly mentions weddings (the closest we get is a reference to “saying I do”), but it’s a song of vast chronological proportions, describing a lifelong love and the memories made. It plays right into the first dance ‘genre’, with lyrics that are often rather similar to vows, plush with imagery of family, and children, and a house made into a home. There are even a couple of references to storms and earthquakes, as metaphors for hard times they will survive together, as if they didn’t have enough clichés already.
My own cynicism aside, this is a nice enough song. It sounds very similar to both their own repertoire as well as that of Rascal Flatts (I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of casual listeners assumed it belonged to the latter), with indistinguishable piano, acoustic guitar, strings, harmonies, and unobtrusive drums that build as the song progresses. It’s very pretty, very commercial, and very nicey-nicey – this is definitely not going to ruffle any feathers, sonically or lyrically. And that’s how Dan + Shay like it; they’re very safe, and even as they transition from infatuation to boyfriend-girlfriend songs to soulmates and marriage, they retain a universal appeal, at least in terms of age groups. The only thing you can really dislike about the track is it’s too nice and generic, and I will be honest and say I wish they had included more unique details in the lyrics.
Still, the song does its job, and so do they. It’s cheesy, but they’re filling a gap in the market now that Rascal Flatts are basically too old and ugly (come on, you know it’s true), and it could be much, much worse. Best of luck to them.
Originally posted here.
