Brett Smiley identifies possible causes for the odd awkwardness, even thought Romney's recitation of the lyrics (and indeed the tuneful way in which he delivered them) isn't cringe inducing by any means:
At a final stop in Florida before the state's primary on Tuesday, Mitt Romney attempted to overcome his innate awkwardness and performed a rendition of America the Beautiful, a favorite Romney hymn that he's recited on the trail before but never sung. To his credit, Romney knows the words and doesn't have a terrible voice, but there's something very awkward about his singing. Maybe it's the left hand that never leaves the comfort of his pocket, or his stretching to reach the high notes for the verse above the fruited plain, or the way he assures The Villages, Florida residents, "I love this country."Although he's not a patch on Herman Cain, here and, of course, here.