ANNE WILSON - Rain In The Rearview - Capitol CMG

Since her 2021 debut single “My Jesus,” Anne Wilson has racked up a list of accolades in the CCM genre that includes a whopping 600M+ streams, two GMA Dove Awards, two K-LOVE Fan Awards, and several hot singles to her credit with “Hey Girl,” “Sunday Sermons,” and “Living Water.”

But as she gently dipped her toes into the country music waters after her Grand Ole Opry debut, she intriguingly put both genres on high alert for what her next chapters could hold.

With the release of three teaser tracks this weekend from her upcoming 2024 album REBEL, she answers some of those next chapter questions, bringing “Rain In The Rearview” to country radio as her first official crossover single.

As the rolling sound of thunder sets the mood against the instrumentation, Wilson wavers her vocal through the opening verse, taking on the first-person narrative in such a crafty way that it immediately invokes the listener to evaluate their own “rain” soaked situations as she faces the mirror to ask, “how much hurt can a heart take?” and “how much wind ‘til the walls cave?”

By being so cleverly vague in the heart break ask, Wilson masterfully allows the listener plenty of room to think about what’s left them hurting, whether it be from a broken relationship, losing a loved one, etc.

With the tone of the song now stamped in place, she strikes the thought-provoking challenge, “You can just stay right there in the pain or listen to the voice you hear when you pray,” while song checking Carrie Underwood to unashamedly let you know that she understands what you’re going through because she’s been there too, “Singing “Jesus Take the Wheel,” now I know what she was feeling cause I feel it to.”

However, it’s the blast of encouragement in the chorus that sets this song onto the playing field that straddles both genre lines as she paints the perfect double message when she seemingly sings about going out for drive to clear your head, but expertly hits the listener with the idea to keep pushing through the cloudy moments to get to the sunshine on the other side, “I swear somewhere out there the sun is somewhere shining, so drive baby drive baby drive ‘til it shines on you.”

An incredible vocal control that softly holds to the encouragement factors, though simultaneously belting out the motivation to stay in the fight, allows “Rain In The Rearview” to become that trusted friend with a shoulder to lean on as you walk together through your battles, giving the country music market the opportunity to expand the reach of a poignant, much needed song for a very hurting world.

With a perfect combination of Biblical truths and country ideals Anne Wilson holds tightly to the blur of  genre lines, perfectly encompassing what she herself has already said, “I love God and that’s my everything, but I love Country music, too, and I can have a beautiful mix of both.”

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis/Photo Artwork by: Robby Klein)

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