"How Could I Want More" is the debut single by American actress and singer Jamie Lynn Spears. The song was written by Spears and

Rivers Rutherford Melvern Rivers Rutherford II (born June 17, 1967) is an American country music songwriter. He has written songs since at least the 1990s as a songwriter; he has written several number one country hits including " Ain't Nothing 'bout You" by Brooks ...

, and was self-released (under the label name Sweet Jamie Music, Inc.) on November 25, 2013 as the lead single from Spears' debut EP, '' The Journey''. The track received acclaim from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

, who praised Spears for taking a different musical direction than her sister, and for the maturity expressed in the

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...

and her delivery. Spears wrote the song about her future-husband Jamie Watson.

Composition

"How Could I Want More" is a traditional-style

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 ...

ballad that runs for three minutes and thirty-three seconds. The song opens with an acoustic guitar riff, while a

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a console steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings, enabling more varied and complex music to be played than with other steel guitar designs. Like all steel guitars, it can play ...

comes in as the song progresses, resulting in a distinctively country sound. Personal yet relatable lyrics carry a narrative about a seemingly-perfect relationship that still finds the narrator wanting more. Country music critic Billy Dukes (of ''

Taste of Country Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

'') noted that the production, particularly the "faint echo" accompanying each note, is effective at masking Spears' unexceptional vocal ability and lending the song an air of authenticity. Spears said her now husband, Jamie Watson inspired the song.

Critical reception

The song was generally well received by critics, who praised Spears for taking a different musical direction than her sister, and for the maturity expressed in the lyrics and her delivery. ''

Us Weekly ''Us Weekly'' is an American weekly celebrity and entertainment magazine based in New York City. ''Us Weekly'' was founded in 1977 by The New York Times Company, which sold it in 1980. It was acquired by Wenner Media in 1986, and sold to Ameri ...

'' compared the track favorably to the early work of

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

and commented that the country twang and overall quality surprised them. Also drawing comparisons to Taylor Swift and

Kacey Musgraves Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She began her career in the early 2000s, when she self-released three solo albums and recorded another album as a member of the duo Texas Two Bits. In 20 ...

, Sam Lansky of ''

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolator or Idolater may also refer to: * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), a 2005 album by Blood Stain Child * ''Idolator'', a 1986 album by Ole Evenrud * "Idolater", a ...

'' called "How Could I Want More" a "lovely and wistful sigh of country-pop longing" that may not be terribly radio-friendly but is nevertheless "pretty great". Billy Dukes of ''

'' highlighted the "sharp, vulnerable lyric" and excellent arrangement in his positive review of the song, while also praising Spears for displaying expectation-defying maturity. Kevin Rutherford of ''Billboard'' described Spears' performance as "sweet and innocent" yet powerful, and suggested the song would fit right in at country radio. Ashley Cooke of ''Roughstock'' called the song "''really'' good" and left her "excited" about Spears' career.

Promotion

On December 19, 2016, Spears performed the song on

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's morning television show ''

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''.

Music video

The music video premiered in December 2013. It was directed by Spears' former ''

Zoey 101 ''Zoey 101'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Dan Schneider for Nickelodeon. It aired from January 9, 2005, to May 2, 2008, spanning a total of 61 episodes across four seasons. It focuses on the lives of Zoey Brooks ( J ...

'' co-star Matthew Underwood, who played Logan Reese on the show.

Chart performance

"How Could I Want More" debuted at number 29 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

, and at number 8 on the Country Digital Songs chart, for the week ending December 7, 2013. It has sold 115,000 digital downloads in the US as of May 2014.

Charts

References

{{authority control 2013 debut singles 2013 songs Jamie Lynn Spears songs Songs written by Rivers Rutherford Country ballads 2010s ballads Pop ballads