Bluegrass and Country come together in a foot stomping sing-along tune
Artists: Luke Levenson
Album: Cold in Amarillo
Tags: country | bluegrass | hat music | stomp along
Added on: Tue Mar 05 2024
When I heard this playing over the credits of some YouTube video I knew instantly it would be a favorite. It's a foot stomping, sing-along tune that's perfect for a long drive or a long day. Generally, I think these types of songs fall into the genre of country, but the way that particular genre has calcified lately almost makes it feel like it doesn't have room for songs like these or like Stick Season by Noah Kahan.
Whatever you want to call it, the tune is great and the rhythm feels like it's moving your feet for you. It was immediately running in the back of my head. The song also manages to walk that careful balance between catchy and melancholy that makes this particular flavor of country music so good.
I also really enjoy the specific image it conjures, the recent unexpected Texas snow and the power outage that resulted is very clearly the inspiration behind the lines:
But now it's cold in Amarillo
Getting cold in Amarillo
Now the city's lost its power
With the frost and snow
And I'm just counting down the hours
It's wonderful to actively feel the match between the powerless cold frozen-over Amarillo and the person he let go. I love it.
Reviewing Levenson's stuff on Spotify it looks like he's entirely done singles over the past few years and while none of the ones I've listened to hit me like this song does, they're all pretty good. I hope he does an album some time soon, it would be interesting to see how he takes on a larger project.