MERCY SHINE

                                                              "Why Can't It Be Tonight" 

                                                               CCB Nashville

Since their debut single “Curves” and self-titled EP in 2019, CCB Nashville recording artist Mercy Shine has been raking in the accolades and carving out their country music path. Multiple independent music awards followed, while 2020 saw them release a new single “That’s Where You’ll Find Me,” their follow-up EP, and their most current charting song “Why Can’t It Be Tonight.”

The duo, comprised of Jason Clark and Matt Barfield, leans heavy into their 90’s country influences on “Why Can’t It Be Tonight,” and splices them together with their undeniable rock background to deliver a song that punches on their edgier side.

The tilt in the guitar pulls from a purely classic rock influence and drives you through a chunky rhythm in the verses as they sing of a very relatable experience – that one time feeling when someone catches your eye at a bar/club and you just have to talk to them as is stated in the opening verse when they sing, “I saw my chance in a glance, that’s why I fought my way across this room – I just had to talk to you.”

The grittier feel of the verses becomes perfectly accented when they drive to the chorus and flip the feel into a more 90’s country inspired sound. This is when the duo showcases their incredible harmonies which elevates the song to new heights and pulls the listener into its sing-along atmosphere.

As the song progresses, the story unfolds when it’s admitted in the second verse that this could be the spark where it all begins, while utilizing the bridge to alert the listener that the two subjects have taken the first risk to move things forward when they sing the line, “Who knows what lies beyond this kiss.”

There are several things that Mercy Shine do right with this song. They stay true to who they are by retaining their edgier side, they rely on their signature harmonies to deliver the catchiness necessary to uphold the feel of the chorus, and they bring together a fusion of two different classic sounds – rock and country - and pull it off to make it work.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

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