On topic, I'm still pretty meh about "Automatic". It gets stuck in my head once in a while and I enjoy the live version (at least, much better than the studio version), but some of the lyrical content still bothers me, particularly the second verse.
I certainly agree about the live version!
The lyrical content does need some working out - in the second verse, what are the parts that bother you? At a guess, I'd say perhaps "three on a tree" is the most obscure image. It's a reference to the gear change mounted on a car's steering column, which is usually easier for a beginner to learn (and hence contrasted with "four on the floor", which is the European style gear shift). A "Rand McNally" is a road atlas, implying that she'd take the longer route, off the main highway.
It is, in fact, the lyrics that strike me as the best thing about this song. They are cleverly constructed and build up a succession of images, several of which need more than one listen to appreciate. That's why I disagree with Patrick's earlier post. To me, the lyrics are nothing like anything else currently on radio. Radio currently favours repetitive "hook" and chorus driven songs, which make little attempt to require much thought from the listener. Many of them are "dirt road party" anthems, mainly using unimaginative stock imagery to create a catchy "feel good" mood. By contrast, this is mainly a verse-driven song, which concentrates on building up a succession of unusual images - and for me the priority given to lyrical content is one of the key aspects distinguishing a song rooted in Country from one that draws heavily on General Music,
What lets the song down for me, though, is the music. Despite a good beginning, it moves into over-produced and Pop-heavy instrumentation that rather confuses the impression created by the lyrics.
However, the main interest is likely to move very quickly to "Something Bad". At first, I did think this was likely to be Country Rock (partly, I suppose, because that is the style tCarrie and Miranda used for their two earlier stage collaborations, and partly because they're both so good at it). Now, though, I'm not so sure - I think it will be a strong up-tempo song, but my guess would be that it might lean more Mainstream than Country Rock.
I base that feeling on a number of factors.
Firstly, they're presenting it at the Billboard Awards (true, that may be for convenience and for getting media attention - but it's an event with a very General Music flavour, probably of little interest to many deep Country enthusiasts.)
Secondly, Miranda's latest previous collaboration ("Wrote A Song For Everyone", with John Fogerty) was very much a Country Rock production, complete with a noticeable "twang factor" and a lengthy electric guitar solo (it got some air play on the Roots stations, but was ignored by the Mainstream). Would Miranda really want to do something similar again so soon?
Thirdly, the writers suggest to me that Miranda is moving away from her "deep genre" style, perhaps more to greater Mainstream hit potential. I don't think she's ever worked with these writers before - though Carrie has.
Fourthly, one of the writers (Priscilla Renea) comes from an Urban Music background, and collaborated with the two Country writers on an overseas mixed genre retreat. This again suggests to me a possibly more General Music feel - perhaps with some unusual features.
Finally, Miranda has given an interview about the choice of "Automatic" - she said it was intended to signal that the new album was taking a different direction (and, reading between the lines, the impression I got was that she meant a more commercial, Mainstream-friendly direction - at least with some of the high profile songs) If, as most people think, "Something Bad" will be the second single, it seems rather likely that she'd want it to give another signal towards change.
