Matt Hodges loves to perform music live, in fact he spends most of the year doing it. If you’ve seen him at one of his many live shows, you may have heard him tell the story of taking a break in America and staying at a cabin for a few days, a side trip that inspired him to write his new song Blue Ridge Road. The title is the name of the road that took them to that lakeside cabin, and the serenity of the cabin, compared to the frantic energy of Downtown Nashville led to the song.
When you consider Matt’s hectic schedule, its no surprise that he enjoyed a few days off – but the theme throughout the song is “Take me back”, as he sings of the freedom and allowing his thoughts to unload. On Blue Ridge Road there are no cars, no “people chasing one last thrill”. Matt is finding peace in nature and seems to have a longing to return to it.
Musically, the song is very
restrained, as is Matt’s voice, which is effectively turned down for this track. There is a yearning in the sound – and it is
very reminiscent of Blake Shelton’s “Austin”, which is another song about
longing for something you want to return to.
There is one break from the tempo when the song has a guitar break and a
slight lift to describe the return to Nashville for a gig – a device which
shows the difference between the town and the peaceful mountain view
The songwriting on this occasion appears to be not just heavily influenced by Blake Shelton, but also by American Country Music in general, using American phrasing (and it is of course born from am American road trip). Could one of the leading voices in UK Country have written the same song from a UK perspective? Maybe Matt’s next songwriting retreat could be to a stone-built cottage in the Yorkshire Dales, escaping the bright lights of Leeds or Sheffield? Just as Matt has his own voice, we’d love to think that UK Country can have its own style and own voice. The UK has many points of reference, and there have been UK songs written with a very UK feel.
Could Matt Hodges lead the charge
of the new breed of UK Cowboys? Perhaps
sitting round the barbecue rather than the campfire, looking over the Brecon
Beacons rather than the Blue Ridge Mountains?
We can’t wait to see where he goes
next – both musically and physically!
Blue Ridge Road, the new single from Matt Hodges is available to download and stream from Friday 16 August
You can find Matt on the road and on Facebook and Instagram - and you can follow him on Spotify
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