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The title song from Brent Saba’s forthcoming debut EP Country Sound accomplishes two key goals: it builds on the success of his previous successful singles and serves as an entertaining preview of the collection to come. Saba is not breaking new ground; his music occupies the same tradition and sound performers such as Jake Owen, Dierks Bentley, and Luke Bryan. Differences enter, however, when you hear Saba’s lyrics.
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/brentsabamusic/?hl=en
His sentiments are relatable and Saba phrases them in recognizable ways any mainstream country fan will embrace. “County Sound” is, at its heart, a celebration of identity in a world where many outside forces are bombarding our sense of self. He grounds that celebration in concrete physical details instead of generalities and some may say it’s second-hand imagery. It isn’t. It is universal.
Saba delivers the song with unabashed verve, he is never coasting for a second, and he musters the necessary explosiveness transitioning from the verses into the chorus. Some may roll their eyes over songs like this, but they’re missing the point. What’s Saba trying to accomplish here? He wants to make a statement about who he is as a person, he’s trusting there’s a significant segment of the music listening public out there sympathetic with his point of view, and he wants to get them on their literal or figurative feet. He wants to entertain them and identify with them. By those benchmarks, “County Sound” is quite successful.
Saba’s accompanying press refers to his music as “soft rock beach county” and that’s appropriate. Pop country is too. It isn’t disposable, however, because the song has character. These aren’t facile emotions or details Saba runs through but rather specific reflections and observations about one person’s life and applying to many others.
You can, however, just rejoice in its simple pleasures. Saba reinforces though with robust production that captures his voice and the instrumentation with forceful clarity. The songwriting construction is superb. “Country Sound” peaks at the right moments, ebbs when necessary, and doesn’t waste listeners’ time with useless adornments. It’s far from a purist, but the music has the ring of authenticity while sounding thoroughly modern.
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/brent-saba-single/1612869979
There is no sign of Saba slowing down. The progression from his first two singles, “Southern State of Mind” and “Carolina Girl”, reveals a performer growing exponentially and already a finished artist in many respects. There are many more miles ahead for him. He has momentum on his side though and plenty of talent to take these fledgling dreams and make his mark on the music world. “Country Sound” surges with the vitality to do that and, possibly, much more.
It is the sound of the next generation coming in. As stated from the first, Brent Saba isn’t setting out to change the world, but he has a message he wants to share and a hunger to put smiles on put people’s faces. He can go anywhere from here and it is a safe bet there will be many listeners following him from here.
by Jennifer Munoz
