Single Reviews

  

 

                                                                    ALANA SPRINGSTEEN

                                                              "shoulder to cry on" 

                                                              Columbia Records/Sony Nashville

 

 

 

Country music songstress Alana Springsteen has more than defined her brand of modern edged, pop-country styling with memorably catchy songs such as her latest single, “you don’t deserve a country song”; her first since signing her major label deal.

However, when you dig into her previous releases, you’ll find that the songs resonating so strongly with the listener tend to lean more into self-reflection mode as Springsteen very transparently looks at who she’s become in the aftermath of a tough breakup on songs such as, “Me Myself and Why,” “Trust Issues,” and her brand-new song, “shoulder to cry on,”  the second tease of her upcoming debut album “TWENTY SOMETHING: Messing It Up” Part One Of Three.

Staying in her signature kissed, softer paced range that builds progressively through the verses to set the tone of the lyric, Springsteen sings us through an all-too familiar tale of running into an ex at the bar, meeting his new girlfriend, and smiling on the outside while dying on the inside.

However, as she punches into the chorus on the back of the lines, “Seeing someone with you just hit me out the blue, something about it cut right to the core,” Alana elevates the frantic feel of the lyrics as she faces the reality mirror on her drive home, smashing straight into her breakdown through the chorus:

“I need a drink but damn it I’m driving

Said I was fine but damn it I’m lying

I thought I could fake a smile, at least a couple miles

Turns out I ain’t that strong

I need to talk but we ain’t talkin’

Tears need to fall, and I can’t stop ‘em

This heart’s about to break right on the interstate

I ain’t gonna make it home, so I’m pullin’ over

Cause I need a shoulder to cry on”

The skillful addition of steel guitar that subtly laces the instrumentation adds the perfect accenting element of hurt within the melody so that it wraps the right feelings musically around the cry in her voice to further elevate the overall gut punch of the lyrics.

As Alana Springsteen continues to showcase bold displays as to why she is one of 2023’s most anticipated to watch, she makes tremendous impact with ‘shoulder to cry on,” not only spotlighting her incredible songwriting, but transcending radio waves to wrap the hurting listener in a warm embrace while essentially providing a shoulder for them to cry on.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

 

 

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