Set This Circus Down

1	The Cowboy in Me 4:04
2	Telluride 3:49
3	You Get Used to Somebody 3:58
4	Unbroken 4:00
5	Things Change 3:20
6	Angel Boy 5:11
7	Forget About Us 4:09
8	Take Me Away from Here 4:35
9	Smillin' 3:00
10	Set This Circus Down 3:31
11	Angry All the Time 4:30
12	Let Me Love You 4:31
13	Grown Men Don't Cry 3:56
14	Why We Said Goodbye 3:44

Barnes & Noble

You don't have to get too far into "The Cowboy in Me," the first cut on Tim McGraw's Set This Circus Down, to realize the country superstar is bringing unusual intensity to this outing. Subsequent cuts don't disappoint -- by the middle of the white-hot love song "You Get Used to Somebody," McGraw is singing with uncommon ferocity, while behind him strings gently swell and a guitar wails and weeps in dramatic counterpoint to the impassioned vocal. But McGraw is even more convincing when he ratchets down the macho a tad. The stately "Forget About Us" is effective precisely because of McGraw's low-key determination to move on at the end of the affair instead of pursuing a lost cause. Similarly, the heartfelt pleading on the light Latin-groove of "Let Me Love You" is gripping because of what's held back. Good songs and powerful but measured performances add up to another winner. In other words, it's business as usual around the McGraw household. Tami Johansson

All Music Guide

Tim McGraw's first studio album on Curb Records after the multi-platinum success of A Place in the Sun delivers a more diverse selection in its 14 tunes with longtime producers Byron Gallimore and James Stroud. From the energetic honky tonk sound of "Forget About Us," to the upbeat tempo of "Telluride" to the Latin-laced "Let Me Love You," McGraw masterfully and consistently flows from one sound style to the next. Yet his familiar country-pop sound remains evident throughout, especially on the title track, a song about a fast-paced couple yearning to kick back and relax in the country (no one said the themes would be original). Sung with such confidence, one might believe it's a self-imposed goal set by McGraw. Just as convincing are the heartfelt ballads of "The Cowboy in Me" and "You Get Used to Somebody,"and "Angel Boy." McGraw's wife, Faith Hill, contributes subtle harmonic vocals on the emotionally compelling "Angry All the Time," written by maverick Americana outsider Bruce Robison. It portrays a relationship gone sour; a tune that was added to the set list no doubt to digress from his usual slate of love songs. Although the sentimental "Grown Men Don't Cry," written by Steve Seskin and Tommy Douglas, was the first official release from the album, McGraw's uplifting performance of "Things Change" at the Country Music Awards mysteriously found its way onto Napster first. Subsequently, the album track hit the country radio airwaves, where it received not only air play, but enthusiastic response form listeners and helped to push the sales of the album even higher. McGraw's aggressive approach to Set This Circus Down makes it one of his finest efforts. ~ Deborah Wong & Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Entertainment Weekly

From the eclectic songs he and his coproducers have chosen to the simple fact that his face doesn't appear on the cover for the first time, Set This Circus Down presents itself as an Important Statement, McGraw's career-defining work. David Browne