BOOMTOWN SAINTS - This Side Of The Dirt - 8-Track Entertainment
Recognized on the mainstream level for their high-octane, breakout hit “Blacktop Don’t,” 2024 saw the Boomtown Saints (Music Row’s Independent Artist Of The Year) continue to build strong foundations with hotly received singles “Good Day To Get Gone,” “American Dream,” and “Heart Breaks You.”
Shifting now to a softer mode to kick off their 2025, “This Side Of The Dirt” stands to make a meaningful heart impact on listeners while thought-provokingly leaving them with the firm directions for a better tomorrow.
Co-written by the duo’s Ben Chism and Chris Ramos with hitmakers Adrienne and Keith Follese, the melodic underlay drapes delicately in strings as the lyrics provide a self-reflective examination of the life you’re currently living, not necessarily from the point of view that you’re in a bad headspace but from the perspective that yearns to be more on the high road with a clear understanding that life is short.
Bringing us to the church pew moment when a well-timed, country sermon pierced his heart, Chism lends perfect vocal grit to the introspective lyric so that each word carries pure, raw honesty through its deep dive into how each moment given ought to be lived like it was the last.
Preaching as much to themselves in the chorus as they are the listeners, they provide a checklist that helps track the movements of our mindset as we glide closer to the encouraging notion that as long as we’re alive and breathing then we serve a bigger purpose with every breath we take.
“There’s still mountains to be climbed
There’s still back roads left to drive
God only gives us so much time
On this side of the dirt
Can’t live too hard, too fast, too much
Can’t say I love you near enough
Don’t be afraid to kick up dust
On this side of the dirt”
Playing the role of the trusted friend offering a heartfelt pep talk, the second verse champions us to keep moving forward, chasing after the dreams God put on your heart, and to trust that you were created for your own unique mission, but also transparently offers that you hand the wheel over to the one who has always been in control as you write your bigger story alongside of Him and walk out His plans for you.
There are several aspects that need to come together for securing a spot on the charts in the current landscape of country music, but the key ingredient to true success comes through providing an anthem that sticks with the listener long after the final note is played, leaving a life-altering impact on them that shapes their next chapter. Boomtown Saints have absolutely done that with what will undoubtably be the most important release of their career thus far.
(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)