SHANTAIA

                                                                "Damaged Goods" 

                                                                 Independent Release

With breakout hits “Know You,” “Broke To Brand New,” “Had a Good Weekend,” and “Hung Over You,” Shantaia has quickly become one of Canadian country’s hottest rising independent acts on the circuit today while turning heads and catching a buzz stateside.

She now continues her impact at country radio with the next release from her very well received Exes and Friends album, “Damaged Goods.”

Leaning into an ultra-catchy vibe that encompasses her signature modern country aura, Shantaia instantly has your toes tapping with the insatiable melody as she takes us on a trip to her small town, introducing us to the people that still call it home while painting the picture of a place that’ll look very familiar to the listener.

Metaphorically opening her high school yearbook in the first verse, we get life updates on where the high school quarterback is today as well as cheerleader/ homecoming queen who became a momma at 17.

But it’s how the second verse is so cleverly written in that it only loosely describes the folks at the bar as being second place winners, church going sinners, could’ve been reality stars, bankrupt millionaires, and college grads cutting hair, that Shantaia gives the already uber relatable song and even stronger connectibility factor as she gets the listener envisioning all the different people that they see at their own version of Cheers.

Ultimately, though, underneath these snapshots of the recognizable people we all know, this is a song about embracing where you come from with a shrug of “it’s all good” shoulders that says we’re A-OK even with all our dents, bruises, and scars while also proudly waving the hometown flag, singing in the chorus:

“Damaged goods aint’ that bad

Get us together and we ain’t sad

Lot of stories, lots of scars

No regrets cause we go hard

If you’re looking for perfect this ain’t no Hollywood

We’re all damaged but it’s all good”

With the back-and-forth sway injected into the melody and the music dropping to the back into the final chorus, strong audience participation moments litter the song to offer a feel that makes this one of the memorable moments during her live shows. But it’s her unmatched abilities to move so fluidly within its catchiness, that she hooks you into her cheerfully, honest vocal and elevates the lyrics to strike the right chords with the small-town listener; giving Shantaia what could be her most universally relatable song yet.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

• Prev
• Next