It’s a message we’ve all heard before: carpe diem, and don’t hide your light behind a bushel.  While it’s a strong theme, one that’s worked for any number of artists (think Tim McGraw with “Live Like You Were Dying,” or more recently, Heidi Newfield’s “What Am I Waiting For”), Jo Dee Messina’s new single “Shine” falls short of its inspirational aspirations.  What ought to be a call to action seems instead to be just a lot of talk. 

In fact, the verses are almost half-spoken—a style that worked for Messina on hits like “I’m Alright” and “That’s The Way.”  But where such songs opened up into the kind of fun, hooky choruses that Messina does best, “Shine” fails to pick up the momentum needed to make it memorable.  Could I recall the melody five minutes after hearing “Shine?”  Not remotely, and that’s one nail in the coffin.  But not only is “Shine” trite and forgettable, the song feels generally too awkward to ever get its groove on.  Opening lines “I didn’t like where I was going/Didn’t like the path I’d chosen/Going through the same old motions day after day” set the tone of the song, and Messina never really manages to work her way out of that rut.