DEREK SKELTON

                                                               "Lost Time" 

                                                               Independent Release

Breaking into the country music scene is no easy task and there isn’t a specific formula to follow – what works for one artist may not work for another. However, beyond just having great songs, the usual common thread that helps someone stand out is a personal backstory that connects the listener with the artist and their songs.

Derek Skelton accomplishes both these tasks.

As if trying to break into the country music industry wasn’t tough enough, try balancing it against a position in the United States Air Force. This is exactly what the Alabama native is doing – in Hawaii no less (not necessarily the place that comes to mind when you think of country music). 

Skelton has recently released his latest single “Lost Time.”

The song follows the summer tilted, softer paced “Island Girl,” as well as “Fall For You,” both which gave us a good indication of who Skelton is as an artist as each song touched on the R&B tilt to his voice that he perfectly juxtaposes against a modern country style.

However, both songs were really just setting the pace for things to come as he’s proven with the release of “Lost Time,” a mid-tempo that leans on an irresistibly catchy melody that is clearly designed to impact today’s country radio.

While a missing you and can’t wait to see you again type of song has been done several times before, Skelton uses such great imagery in the lyrics that this done before idea feels fresh and new.

He uses the opening verse to set the tone as he takes you into his daydreaming of a steamy night together from the couple’s recent past, while in the second verse he relives a memory of their first kiss– all designed to pull you to the chorus where he outlines that he’s racing home to get to her side and make up for lost time in the here and now and by running every red light, driving with a lead foot, etc.

These types of songs just simply work. Anybody who has a profession that takes them away from home can easily relate to this feeling, just as much as someone who is having a long day away from the one person that they can’t wait to be back around.

Derek Skelton made a splash and turned some heads with his previous song releases, but “Lost Time” should be the one that elevates his status and gets the industry paying that much more attention as he’s well on his way to becoming an artist to watch.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)