A storybook example of a successful marriage,
Tim McGraw and
Faith Hill are no stranger to each other's records -- a year after the wedding,
Hill appeared on
McGraw's 1997 single, "It's Your Love" -- but
The Rest of Our Life is the first time they've recorded a full album together. Fittingly, the record is about being in a long-term relationship, and while the album is proudly soothing, neither singer shies away from the realities of advancing age.
McGraw sings about his greying hair and expanding waistline on the title track -- a song co-written by international sensation
Ed Sheeran -- and there are allusions to tough times on "Break First" and "Damn Good at Holding On," but these are details that fade into the sumptuous production masterminded by the duo and
Bryon Gallimore. All three have built
The Rest of Our Life for comfort; it's an album designed to be played on lazy Sunday afternoons, on long drives, and doing housework, a soundtrack to everyday life. As such, it can veer toward background music, but it's enlivened by the chemistry between
McGraw and
Hill. After 20 years of marriage, they still seem smitten with each other, and that palpable affection is not only endearing, it sustains the album. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine