Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Spring has traditionally been a great season for country and roots music of all varieties, and this year, it’s providing us with a smorgasbord of awesome releases to choose from. One of the more interesting singles to come across my desk this April has undisputedly been “So Long Emily,” the new cut from country singer/songwriter Brian Keith, which on its own has been getting even more accolades than its predecessors in the underground scene were in 2022 (which is no small feat to accomplish, I should add).
Brian Keith breaks away from the pack in “So Long Emily,” bringing forth his well-known brand of 90s-style countrified crooning with a newly toned core that is as smooth as it is provocatively throttling and stadium-shaking in style. Tonality is his top priority in this song, and if you were one of the crazy few who thought that the new single was going to struggle in the shadow of the last era’s successes, you’re in for quite the surprise upon pressing play here.
Quality is everything in “So Long Emily,” and as I just mentioned, it all starts with the precise definition of the instrumental tones here. The texture of every component – from the beat to the strings and back to Brian Keith’s lead vocal – is given a starring role in this cinematic single, and whether we’re listening in on the intro or focusing specifically on the hook in the chorus, there’s never a moment where we aren’t able to discern where one end of a harmony starts and another is coming to an end.
This is some top-shelf producing for sure, with the overall equalization being skewed towards beefing up the physicality of the band as a whole, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t wish more country songs being released this season were sporting as much presence as this track is from top to bottom. It makes me want to hear not only “So Long Emily” but the whole of this player’s catalog at some point in the future, just to experience the energy of his band in person.
I wasn’t following Brian Keith as closely as I should have been before hearing his new music for the first time just a short time ago, but I can tell you that I’m not going to be skipping over any of his upcoming releases as both a critic and a new fan. “So Long Emily” captures the essence of its genre better than any other song I’ve heard out of this circuit does, and if you’re curious as to what its star performer is all about, it’s a composition I would recommend consulting first and foremost. Keith still has more ground to cover if he’s going to break out of his position in the underground and forge a new life in the mainstream spotlight, but if this is providing us any sort of indication as to how hard he’s going to pursue that dream, I’d anticipate seeing his momentum get all the stronger this year.
Jordan Raab
