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Rebekah Snyder is an example of a self-representing act’s power to dominate the marketplace of content. Her new single, America, is simultaneously the perfect memorial and the perfect capstone to a week that has tested us as a nation dearly. America is borne from Snyder’s genuine patriotism, not just her musical inclinations.
The song captures this sense of the everyday American hero, bolstered by the fact it’s just Snyder’s vocals, a guitar, and a reverberating sound mix for most of the track. Snyder sings from this place of hard-won conviction, considering her own backstory as a single mother of three. As described in the press release, Snyder “…is an alt-country singer-songwriter and certified flight instructor whose music is grounded in truth, tradition, and personal resilience. A single mom of three and domestic violence survivor, Snyder writes songs for the overlooked and underestimated. Her stripped-down style reflects her Appalachian roots and honors the voices of her ancestors, especially the veterans and strong women in her family.”
In a statement about the single, Snyder had the following to say. ““I wrote ‘America’ as a way to process what I was feeling the morning after 9/11…It’s about honoring the people who serve, the families who sacrifice, and the strength we find in each other when everything feels uncertain.” This is reflected in the lyrics of the piece, highlighting facets of the everyday American experience. The song in some ways has similarities to Oliver Anthony’s single Rich Men North of Richmond. Like Anthony, Snyder has this way of authentically capturing this uniquely relatable sentiment.
A sort of razor-sharp set of articulations covering both the highs and lows of what it means to be a civilian, in a world increasingly dominated by tribal politics, political division, and a growing sense of domestic threat. In some ways, as a listener, this made me feel something mournful when listening to America. So much of popular culture banks on distinctly anti-patriotic content. At worst, content dissecting America from the inside out. That Snyder is willing to buck this trend is to be seriously commended. It shows a bravery and a willfulness to communicate authentically and without apology to critics.
Keif Richard for Music Crowns describes Snyder’s quality as “…a piece of living history, raw, unfiltered, and deeply human. In her stripped down acoustic ballad Snyder captures the ache of loss while also illuminating the strength and compassion that emerged in the aftermath. The fact that she’s waited until now to release it gives the song even greater weight. It feels like a message preserved in amber, finally finding its moment.” He also writes, “Her performance is haunting in its intimacy.
You can hear her lived experiences woven through every line, her perspective as a single mother, a domestic violence survivor, and the proud granddaughter of a WWII veteran. This is not patriotism wrapped in fanfare and fireworks, it’s the quiet steady love of country that comes from ordinary people holding their families and communities together when the world feels broken.”
Jennifer Munoz
