There’s no doubt that country star Keith Urban has been producing great music for a long time now. In 16 years, the Australian artist has yielded 8 albums, his most recent being Fuse, which was released in 2013. The approach to Fuse was to create something different from what he’s produced before – after all, artists can’t keep replicating music and expect fans to not take notice. This is crucial for development as an artist, which Urban knows a thing or two about.
Fuse, has performed extremely well, hitting #1 on the ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) charts as well as #1 on the Billboard Top 200 and US Top Country Albums charts. Previously released from Fuse include the international singles: the lead single “Little Bit of Everything,” “We Were Us,” which featured Miranda Lambert, “Cop Car,” and “Somewhere In My Car.” “Shame” only debuted in Australia and New Zealand. This makes “Raise ‘Em Up” the fifth international single from the album – and it’s quite something.
“Raise ‘Em Up,” which features Eric Church, is a universal anthem whose topics range from raising lighters at a concert to patriotism to raising a family. No matter who listens to this song, they’re sure to connect with at least one lyric. This duet is one of the more meaningful songs out there at the moment and is something listeners should expect from both Urban and Church, as they are both accomplished artists who more often than not sing songs with substance.
While “Raise Em Up” is certainly a song to play again and again, there is an air of familiarity around it. Upon listening to it, similarities to Urban’s 2002 hit “Somebody Like You” can be drawn. The hooks themselves are strikingly comparable even though “Raise ‘Em Up” utilizes guitar and “Somebody Like You” employs banjo. Additionally, the descending vocal scales in the second half of the choruses of “Raise ‘Em Up” are almost identical to those in “Somebody Like You.” This is not to discredit the songwriters’ work, as they have manufactured a much needed meaningful and powerful song, but to point out that although Urban aimed to take a fresh approach to Fuse, perhaps there are just some hooks and melodies that writers can recycle in order to strike the right chord with fans.