I'm In

"I'm In"
Single by Radney Foster
from the album See What You Want to See
B-side "I'm In" (cold intro)
Released 1998
Format CD single
Genre country
Length 5:18 (album version)
4:18 (single version)
Label Arista Austin
Writer(s) Radney Foster
Georgia Middleman
Producer(s) Darrell Brown
Radney Foster singles chronology
"If It Were Me"
(1995)		 "I'm In"
(1998)		 "Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)"
(1999)

"I'm In" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Radney Foster. He recorded it on his 1999 studio album See What You Want to See, which was released on the Arista Austin label. In 2000, The Kinleys released it as a single from the album II, and ten years later, Keith Urban released his version as the fifth single from his album Defying Gravity. Urban's version of the song was a number two hit on the country music charts.

Radney Foster version

Radney Foster wrote the song with Georgia Middleman, and recorded it as a duet with Abra Moore on his 1999 album See What You Want to See. This version was released as the first single from the album, and did not enter the charts. Two weeks before the slated release of the album, See What You Want to See was put on hold due to label restructuring.[1]

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic called "I'm In" one of "the best moments" on the album, saying that it "showcase[s] him at his best as a songwriter while successfully delivering a fresh, updated sound."[2]

The Kinleys version

"I'm In"
Single by The Kinleys
from the album II
B-side "I Need You Now"[3]
Released October 3, 2000
Format CD single
Genre Country
Length 4:55 (album version)
3:37 (single version)
Label Epic Nashville 79496
Producer(s) Radney Foster
The Kinleys singles chronology
"She Ain't the Girl for You"
(2000)		 "I'm In"
(2000)		 "Little Shoulders"
(2004)

In 1999, country music duo The Kinleys recorded a version of "I'm In" for the album II, released in 2000 via Epic Records. Foster co-produced The Kinleys' version of the song, and five other tracks on the album.[4]

Critical reception

Country Standard Time critic Jeffrey B. Remz, in his review of II, said that The Kinleys' rendition was "radio friendly" and that the duo "strip[s]" the song "from its rootsy feel by going for a bigger, churning sound."[5] Gene Harbrecht of the Orlando Sentinel called it a "hopeful counterpoint punctuated by soaring vocals."[6]

Music video

The music video was directed by Eric Welch and premiered in late 2000.

Chart performance

The Kinleys' version debuted on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts dated for the week ending October 28, 2000. It spent twenty-two weeks on that chart and peaked at 35. It was the third and final single from that album, and the last charting single for the duo.[3]

Chart (2000-2001) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] 35


Keith Urban version

"I'm In"
Single by Keith Urban
from the album Defying Gravity
Released May 10, 2010
Format Airplay, music download
Genre Country
Length 4:33 (album version)
3:42 (single version)
Label Capitol Nashville
Producer(s) Dann Huff
Keith Urban
Keith Urban singles chronology
"'Til Summer Comes Around"
(2009)		 "I'm In"
(2010)		 "Put You in a Song"
(2010)

Keith Urban recorded "I'm In" for his 2009 album Defying Gravity.[8] In a radio interview, Urban told KILT-FM that his rendition would be the fifth single from the album, and that he would perform it at the Academy of Country Music awards show on April 18, 2010.[9] This is the second track from Foster's See What You Want to See album that Urban has covered; he had previously recorded "Raining on Sunday" (which follows "I'm In" on Foster's album) and released his version of that song in 2003 from his album Golden Road.[10] It is also Urban's first American single that does not have a music video for it.

Critical reception

Sam Gazdziak of Engine 145 gave the song a thumbs-up, saying that it was "not as good as the original" but "a good introduction to the song." His review criticized the guitar solo, which he thought was out of place.[11] Slant Magazine's Jonathan Keefe also considered it inferior to The Kinleys' version, calling Urban's version "tepid."[12] Allmusic critic Thom Jurek compared the sound of Urban's version to that of The Rolling Stones, saying that it would be an "excellent choice" for a single.[13] Kevin John Coyne from Country Universe gave the song a B- grade and stated that "Keith Urban makes everything sound so effortless that it can be easy to overlook songs that legitimately could have used more effort" though "If he’s going to use outside material, he should be more selective than he was this time around."[14]

Chart performance

Chart (2010) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 63
US Billboard Hot 100[16] 60
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[17] 2

Year-end charts

Chart (2010) Position
US Country Songs (Billboard)[18] 21

References

  1. ↑ Skanse, Richard (19 May 1999). "Radney Foster Returns on His Own Terms". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  2. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "See What You Want to See review". Allmusic. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 227. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
  4. ↑ Tarradell, Mario (30 July 2000). "Twins find harmony in music bond". The Dallas Morning News.
  5. ↑ Remz, Jeffrey B. "II review". Country Standard Time. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  6. ↑ Harbrecht, Gene (21 July 2000). "The Kinleys: II". Orlando Sentinel. p. 13.
  7. ↑ "Kinleys Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Kinleys.
  8. ↑ "Reviews: Country". Chicago Sun-Times. 12 April 2009. p. D3.
  9. ↑ Yates, Rowdy. "Keith Urban on the KILT Morning Show". KILT-FM. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  10. ↑ "The Scoop: Keith Urban Is "In"". Country Weekly 17 (22): 8. 31 May 2010. ISSN 1074-3235.
  11. ↑ Gazdziak, Sam. "Keith Urban — "I'm In"". Engine 145.
  12. ↑ Keefe, Jonathan (30 March 2009). "Defying Gravity review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  13. ↑ Jurek, Thom. "Defying Gravity review". Allmusic. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  14. ↑ Coyne, Kevin John (2010-05-30). "Single Review: Keith Urban, I'm In". Country Universe.
  15. ↑ "Keith Urban Album & Song Chart History" Canadian Hot 100 for Keith Urban. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Keith Urban Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot 100 for Keith Urban. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Keith Urban Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Keith Urban. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Best of 2010: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2010.