"Easy" is a song written by
Katrina Elam and Michael Mobley and recorded by the American
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
group
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts is an American Country music, country music band formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background voc ...
as a duet with British pop singer
Natasha Bedingfield. It was released in June 2011 as the third and final single from Rascal Flatts' album ''
Nothing Like This''. It became Rascal Flatts' fifth AC Top 20 hit. As of the chart dated July 21, 2012, the song has sold 917,000 copies in the US.
Content
"Easy" is a midtempo ballad in
time signature
A time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, and measure signature) is an indication in music notation that specifies how many note values of a particular type fit into each measure ( bar). The time signature indicates th ...
with a vocal range from C to C. The song begins in
C minor
C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major.
The C natural minor scale is:
Cha ...
and modulates up to
E minor
E minor is a minor scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has one sharp, on the F. Its relative major is G major and its parallel major is E major.
The E natural minor scale is:
Change ...
halfway through the second verse.
Critical reception
Jessica Phillips of ''
Country Weekly'' called the song a "sizzling duet".
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
of
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
was less favorable, calling it a "questionable stab at pop radio crossover". Ben Foster of ''Country Universe'' gave the song a B, saying that the lyrics are simple, but effective at telling the story of two ex-lovers who are in denial of the strong feelings they still harbor for one another.
Billy Dukes of ''Taste of Country'' gave the song four stars out of five, calling it "a daring collaboration and fits right into the Rascal Flatts wheelhouse."
Music video
The music video for the song premiered on CMT.com on July 1, 2011.
Charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{authority control
2010 songs
2011 singles
Big Machine Records singles
country ballads
Vocal collaborations
music videos directed by Peter Zavadil
Natasha Bedingfield songs
Rascal Flatts songs
song recordings produced by Dann Huff
songs written by Katrina Elam