Can an artist simply be too good for radio? That certainly seems to be the case with Blaine Larsen. He has a great voice, and he chooses songs that are very easily worthy of it. "It Did", his first release for Treehouse Records, is no exception.

 Formerly an album cut on Brad Paisley's "5th Gear" album, "It Did" combines some of Brad's best lyrics (that he's performed or written) with Blaine Larsen's rich baritone, a cross between Josh Turner and George Strait. Indeed, Blaine sounds fuller and more convincing on this song than Brad does. At heart, the song is the typical fall-in-love storyline of falling in love, marrying, having a child, and oh yeah, watching our love grow. However, the sharply-written lyrics give a clear sense of definition to each scene, hooking the listener and not letting him go until the song ends. The only downside to Larsen's version of the song is its production. Strings and highly-compressed guitars are stacked into a wall of sound, looming ominously over Blaine's stellar voice at points.

Without the support of a well-known major label, Blaine may not have a chance at reaching the charts again. But if his catalog remains this strong, one of the other majors just might be willing to take a chance on him. After all, that has happened to him before.