Craig Wayne Boyd’s “My Baby’s Got A Smile On Her Face”
Ah yes, Craig Wayne Boyd, reigning champion of NBC’s singing competition The Voice, padawan of Blake Shelton, and touted by many to be the next great hope for traditional country returning to the mainstream. But to accomplish any of this, he was going to have to successfully hurdle the recent history of winners of The Voice of melting right back into abject obscurity after their big win. The Voice was a bit more savvy this time however, or someone was, learning from the show’s previous track record, and helped Boyd out by releasing his first single called “My Baby’s Got A Smile On Her Face” while the memory of the big win was still in the mind of viewers.
Signed to Scott Borchetta’s and Big Machine’s Dot Records imprint, Boyd has seemingly transitioned from amateur reality show contestant to full-fledged professional performer fairly seamlessly. This development also sees Scott Borchetta entering the reality show performer space with both feet, since he’s already signed up to be the mentor on American Idol and committed to sign the eventual winner of the upcoming season. Borchetta might be making the power move to monopolize this television reality show talent. And if his initial results with Craig Wayne Boyd are any indication, the strategy could be quite successful for him.
Boyd’s “My Baby’s Got A Smile On Her Face” became only the second single to debut at #1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart ever. The other #1 debut was Garth Brooks’ “More Than A Memory” from 2007. This development had the media going crazy, ready to annoint Craig as the genre’s next superstar. And this is just the beginning of Craig’s chart success. He was able to get Johnny Cash’s “I Walk The Line” all the way to #1 on Billboard’s Digital Songs chart, and #15 on the Hot Country Songs chart earlier in December. Boyd also took the old Gospel standard “Old Rugged Cross” to #7 on the charts, and Merle Haggard’s “Workin’ Man Blues” to #37 previously, bolstered by the social media bonanza that ensues through The Voice voting system that also rewards contestants for iTunes sales performance.
All of this bodes very well for Boyd bucking the trend of being a blowout in the professional ranks after the big win on The Voice. But looking at the charts the week after the release of these songs, and it exposes the boom and bust, super-famous-and-immediately-obscure-again nature of these reality show contestants. Where “My Baby’s Got A Smile On Her Face” was making history on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart last week, this week it has completely dropped out of the Top 25. Poof, it’s gone. Sales of the song dropped a whopping 94% in its second week, from 99,000 to 6,000. And this same fate was met by all of the other Boyd chart successes. The hyper attention of The Voice just doesn’t hold up over a multi-week time scale; it is exposed by it.
What “My Baby’s Got A Smile On Her Face” also doesn’t deliver on is the promise of Craig Wayne Boyd bringing a more traditional sound to the table he says is inspired by the likes of Merle Haggard and Hank Jr. “My Baby’s Got A Smile On Her Face” is very, very pedestrian, with a pallid, and predicable rock guitar sonic base, and a simplistic lyrical offering indicative of adult contemporary Keith Urban-style safeness. The only country instrumentation comes in at the 1:20 mark when a fiddle briefly shows up, while the lyrics never trend toward anything country-themed. The song is not bad as much as it’s just superfluous and forgettable, paralleling the chart trend that saw such a precipitous fall off.
With all the hoopla around the Craig Wayne Boyd win, the question kept being if new music after the show would hold up to the hype. It’s just one song, but so far it hasn’t. Boyd also had no hand in writing the song, despite this being one of his selling points. It was penned by Mark Marchetti and Stephanie Jones, and produced by Blake Shelton.
This is going to sound like complete poppycock to many, but studying musical performance for many years, you begin to notice that when artists are singing with forced emotion, they raise their eyebrows. And when artists are performing with true earnestness and emotion, their eyebrows lower and bear down. In the video for “My Baby’s Got A Smile On Her Face,” Craig Wayne Boy’s eyebrows are reaching for the sky, and the scenes reinforce the song’s sort of clean, safe, adult contemporary style.
Yes it’s just one song, and 1st singles tend to reach for the widest audience while Boyd’s eventual album cuts may deliver on the promise of a more traditional sound from the (potentially) burgeoning star. But “My Baby’s Got A Smile On Her Face” is as forgettable as The Voice the week after the finale.
1 1/4 of 2 Guns Down.
January 6, 2015 @ 10:51 am
I have no clue about the guy singing but Mark Marchetti is an alright guy.
January 6, 2015 @ 10:57 am
What a dumb song. Unoriginal, uninspired cheese.
January 6, 2015 @ 11:06 am
From Youtube videos I’ve seen of CWB, it seems rather odd to me that the production on this song is so extreme. He has a pretty great voice that I think could carry any tune, yet in this song, it’s nearly drowned out by the guitars and drums. Makes no sense to me.
And I agree Trig, having him record an adult contemporary style song is weird as well. Maybe Borchetta is making him as appealing as possible to crossover and not alienate potential buyers/fans. And if that’s the case, that sucks because CWB shone with his classic style approach no the show. On the other hand, it’s possible that this debut single is simply an establishing song. Like many other newcomers’ debuts, a safe, mass-appeal song to establish a fan base and follow this up with a song that’s more suitable to his style. While that seems like an odd approach given that The Voice is supposed to do just that, it could be an explanation.
January 6, 2015 @ 11:44 am
I don’t know how much Borchetta had to do with the selection of this song as a single. Maybe, but remember – this song was also a focus of the show, which he doesn’t control. The Voice is VERY protective of its property (the show).
Then again, I think the deal with Dot Records came AFTER the win, and not as a part of it. I don’t think if any of the other 3 guys had won, they’d be on Dot. So, my guess, is that the song was 100% a show vehicle, and something that they hoped would sell… and it did. The question becomes the follow-up. With an entire BIG MACHINE behind CWB, there’s no doubt that whatever the next single is, it will be marketed heavily. If it has more guts to it, it may stick. If it has a sound that isn’t replicated 100 thousand times on radio, it may stick.
Its stickiness will determine how much of the pie Borchetta slices off to support CWB. There are a LOT of artists on the Big Machine roster, and CWB could end up in a “development” transition if the next single doesn’t have more longevity.
We shall see.
January 6, 2015 @ 12:44 pm
Two comments about this song:
1) The woman is definitely a looker!
2) The sonic style is not country, but it reminds me of the old rock power ballad style which I also love. At least it has a real melody unlike the bro-country songs.
We still need to stop labeling rock songs as “country”, though.
January 6, 2015 @ 12:49 pm
I was shocked to see this at the top of the Billboard chart for last week given that A) I’ve never heard of this guy even though I pay more attention to the mainstream than the average reader of this site and 2) it had no radio play to speak of and got there entirely on sales/streams.
January 6, 2015 @ 1:08 pm
Very weak song ….generic lyrically with little imagery – predictable musically ( half- time southern rock with an un-danceable groove ,) too much music crowding the vocal performance and NO heart/emotion to it whatsoever. No substance and no traditional country elements to speak of . Good looking singer with an unremarkable ,forgettable performance . Again , the vocal is way too buried in that mix .
WHICH ALL ADDS UP TO THIS BEING A PERFECT FIT FOR MAINSTREAM COUNTRY RADIO ! And it fell off the charts , you say ? Could people actually be seeing through this stuff ?
January 6, 2015 @ 1:24 pm
The music might be predictable, but from my point of view it is quite pleasant to listen to. It reminds me of pre-bro mainstream country.
January 6, 2015 @ 2:03 pm
This guy is making it big because of Blake , It’s one of his songs that didn’t get on his album ,Craig is a ok singer but will get the radio ok because of Blake .People talk about contestants coming off these reality shows should have to work at going for the top but it doesn’t seem that Craig has to work at all ,he already has the business’s approver . It’s not what you know but who you know in some cases . I do wish him well but I hope he can make it on his own.
January 6, 2015 @ 2:35 pm
Yes ….the VOICE is becoming more and more self-serving , it seems to me . The judges themselves are merely product placements and get first shot at signing / singing with / writing with /producing any real talent while by-passing the process of waiting while an ‘artist’ works on their style , their chops , their music abilities and their business savvy in terms of generating a following . Now the following is generated in one evening with one song …..usually a cover of a mainstream proven hit in the initial stages. . Glorified Karaoke . Its also a way to bring in other names under the guise of ” coaches ” and give them a shot at some exposure . ( Like TS needed THAT or could really ‘coach’ someone with ACTUAL vocal chops ) . Its almost laughable watching Blake tell an act how to perform when clearly BLAKE needs to be the one being coached in that department . )
In any case ….its another ” reality” show that isn’t exactly that and the fact that the home audience picks the winner makes it another popularity contest with the real talent ( as we’ve seen so many times ) voted off , unfortunately . There IS a way to make these ‘contests’ real and valid ….but it takes the viewer out of the equation and for ratings and profit ….. its always all about the viewer .
January 6, 2015 @ 2:51 pm
I tell ya, Tyler’s Farrs latest a guy walks into a bar is a great country song. I’m a fan. Of course this site will not endorse him because of Redneck Crazy, by I think he has potential to put the traditional sound back on radio. Hello Goodbye was also a great one! As far as this guy goes…he sucks!
January 6, 2015 @ 3:53 pm
Don’t make any assumptions about what this site will and won’t endorse. It’s my job to seek out what is worthy of praise in the mainstream and put personal feelings from past offerings aside.
January 6, 2015 @ 8:10 pm
You do a pretty good job of that, at least for the most part! And you did give the song “dirt” some love so we know you have it in you to praise something in the mainstream. you may not feel the song is worthy of praise. I do. And thought id give a shoutout on here so maybe you would give it a listen. On a side note, I respect what you do and I’m glad you shine the light on ones that don’t get that mainstream glow. Didn’t mean to come across like I was bashing the site. I enjoy coming here and reading everyday.
January 7, 2015 @ 1:28 pm
No worries Justin, thanks for reading.
January 7, 2015 @ 12:02 pm
You are right about this song. Tyler Farr has some potential.
In my opinion, most of the mainstream country artist are able to deliver some good songs but unfortunately, most of the singles released are of poor quality. For instance, Jason Aldean “Burning it Down” is a good R&B EDM song (but it’s not country at all!) however on the same album, the song ” Two Night Town” is a real and a good country song.
January 7, 2015 @ 3:44 pm
the problem is that every guy has potential to record great stuff. but the problem is when what these guys release is mostly crap. farr has recorded that as horrid as hell stupid redneck crazy song, and since whiskey in my water and most of his debut album had more lows than highs, I still can’t think of him as a good artist. aldean is just an horrid clown, the most talentless overrated idiot ever. He has definitely destroyed country music with his crappy loud hard rock sounds and stupid lyrics (“come on joe, teach us how to diffie”? really??). I’m so upset he’s selling a lot of copies, his new album is pure crap. There is one song I enjoy on it (too fast) and two cuts I could even like if they hadn’t those irritating loud rock guitars. The rest is just way overproduced boring crap. screw aldean and his dumb music
January 6, 2015 @ 3:13 pm
Oh great, James Otto is making a comeback.
January 6, 2015 @ 3:30 pm
This song was a bit of a letdown, but if Craig Wayne Boyd and Sam Hunt are the “next big things” in country music, I’ll take Boyd any day.
January 6, 2015 @ 6:41 pm
OK, I think 1 1/4 guns down is a little harsh.
That being said, the song is very pedestrian. This is not the kind of song this guy should be doing, and it shows in his face. He’d be far better off going with the Whiskey Myers/Blackberry Smoke sound. That’s where I think his heart is.
I think he’s got a good voice and a place in music, this pap ain’t it.
January 6, 2015 @ 10:16 pm
Blake Shelton is not a producer. The song is boring.
January 7, 2015 @ 12:28 am
I think they are trying to make a new Travis Tritt. In fact the song could be one of Tritt’s songs, may be a stretch but it’s possible. Why mess with the original. It is just hard listening to this guy without thinking wow Travis could sing this so much better. Kinda like Cole Swindell, AKA poor man’s Luke Bryan…
January 7, 2015 @ 9:06 am
Man this guy is boring. He belongs in a Nickelback or Creed cover band.
January 7, 2015 @ 9:38 am
Well, your 15 minutes of fame is up Mr. Boyd.
January 7, 2015 @ 12:18 pm
Did anyone expect anything else from a network show contestant?
He got through the voice because they needed “country guy”. Sure he has some talent, in relation to other complete randoms on the street. I.E. he can strum a guitar and carry a tune…but this is a quick cash grab until next seasons voice crop comes around.
January 7, 2015 @ 4:59 pm
File this song under the most generic boilerplate work ever. When will someone hire me to write their songs? Music Row…. where bad songs make millions.
She walks up when I get home from work
makes me forget that my boss is a jerk
She cooks my favorite meals
And Love the way she looks in high heels
My baby makes me happy
Makes me forget that work is crappy
My baby makes me happy
Makes me forget Country is stupdily SAPPY
January 8, 2015 @ 2:59 pm
What it comes down to is that if Blake Shelton wanted a real country singer that would pay homage to country’s roots, he should have stuck with James David Carter, not this “picklemouth” singing flash in the pan.
Will Craig Wayne Boyd Be The First Winner of The Voice To Hit It Big? | For The Country Record
January 19, 2015 @ 10:12 am
[…] as 6,000 copies in one week wasn”™t enough to keep you in the top 50, but there we go (thanks to SavingCountryMusic.com for the sales stats). Clearly a couple of weeks after millions of people voted (with their […]