KASSI ASHTON - Called Crazy - MCA Nashville

When “Drive You Out Of My Mind” punched its ticket into the Top 40, Kassi Ashton struck country music with something uniquely fresh through its moody melodic build, her undeniable vocal approach, and a complete lyrical confidence.

Though she continued turning industry heads and holding over her burgeoning fanbase late last year with an incredible cover of Christina Aguilera’s “Genie In The Bottle,” she now injects an unapologetic swagger and a sassy infused essence into her addictive new single, “Called Crazy.”

Co-written by Kassi, Jared Keim, and Emily Weisband, her first release of 2024 carries an atmospheric moodiness that allows her to masterfully use the tilts of her voice to capture the free flow of the lyric as she shrugs her shoulders, embracing her “crazy” and serving a knowing wink to the guys who’ve hypocritically labeled her as such just before they come back to her for more of it.

Leaning into the rumor mill that an ex started about her, she travels through the opening of the song with a mischievous smirk as she outlines the different things that she’s heard about herself - she put sugar in his gas tank, spray painted her name on his car in big red letters, etc. - landing at a unbridled coolness that brushes off the lies and sits within the truth laden impact of the chorus:

“Well, I plead the fifth since you won't admit

That you like that look in my eyes

You lit a match too close to the gas

And now you're gonna sit here and cry

Well, I'ma let your mouth keep running, running

But you ain't gonna hear me say nothing

'Cause if there's one damn thing I know for sure

I never been called crazy by a man who didn't come back for more”

Holding fully to who she really is and the transparency of how she presented herself to him upfront, Ashton relays that she “never played the nice card” and “you knew exactly who I was,” enhancing the strike of the chorus that much more as she brands the realities against his lies.

“I’ve been playing this out live here and there for the past six months and the screams I get from the women of the crowd after the first chorus hits tells me I was right about my assumption,” Ashton tells of her gut feeling that everyone’s been in her shoes before.

Combine her incredibly gifted ability to uniquely walk her own path through the country music landscape and the very fact that this song is already resonating with live crowds, and one of the genres most mysteriously intriguing young acts is easily staring at her next Top 40.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

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