‘The Rest of Our Lives’ Sees Tim McGraw and Faith Hill Showing off Their Kindred Chemistry

Des Delgadillo

After two decades of one-off duets, it felt like country’s greatest power couple, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, were teasing country fans with the prospect of a collaborative album. It even started to feel like we would never get one, with Hill stepping out of the spotlight for a few years to raise the couple’s children, while McGraw continued hitting the road and churning out new records. After having the carrot dangled in front of us for so long, “The Rest Of Our Life” feels like the ultimate payoff, and it couldn’t be any sweeter. Hill and McGraw’s first collaborative album shows off a kindred chemistry that resonates from the first note to the last quiver.

Listeners know exactly what they’re in for from the get-go. Co-written by Ed Sheeran, who seemingly has a hand in every worthwhile album these days, “The Rest Of Our Life” is the perfect soaring ballad to kick things off. It’s an exultant celebration of love and the way it manages to make youngsters out of the most elderly, with the couple striking a perfect harmony and declaring, “We’ll be young when we’re old.” “Have you made plans for the rest of your life?” McGraw asks in the song’s opening verse before taking his voice to a high register, proving that love’s definitely something worth squealing about.

From beginning to end, “The Rest of Our Life” is a testament to the couple’s impressive chemistry, with impeccable harmonies and vivid emotion drenching every track. Ballads make up the bulk of the album, and that’s far from a complain, as Hill and McGraw have no shortage of word pictures to paint, whether it’s the carefree frolic of “The Bed We Made” or a tense portrait of estranged lovers finding one another on “Break First.” Hill’s voice brings McGraw up to places far beyond his range, while his smoky croon gives Hill just enough vocal weightiness to strike a perfect counterbalance.

Refreshingly, country’s greatest power couple aren’t out to reinvent the wheel on “The Rest of Our Life.” Instead, they’re sticking with what brought them to the dance in the first place, with each complimenting the other’s patented style. “Love Me To Life” brings McGraw into Hill’s signature sonic pallet, and he fits in just fine, even adding a touch of serenity to the chorus. “Cowboy Lullaby,” meanwhile, is a McGraw joint through and through with Hill hitting those important high notes. Other standouts include the blues-flecked “Devil Callin’ Me Back” or the the Hill-led “Speak to a Girl.”

Powerful ballads are plentiful on the album, not the least of which is “Sleeping Under the Stars,” a promise from one lover to another extending beyond the grave. But as heavily as things tilt in the slowed down direction, “The Rest of Our Life” isn’t without its fun. “Telluride” moves with that brisk yet soulful conviction, with guitar and piano duking it out before coming together in a rip-roaring torrent of levity. And who can forget the bouncy closer, “Roll the Dice,” a clinic in poignant funk. It’s such a fun two-and-a-half minutes, it almost makes you wish there was more upbeat fare like this on the album. Still, you can’t argue with results, and when Tim McGraw and Faith Hill get together, the results are nothing short of exhilarating.

“The Rest of Our Life” is available Nov. 17 on Apple Music.