BRIAN KELLEY - Dirt Road Date Night - Big Machine Records

As if his Tennessee Truth album (due out on May 10, 2024) wasn’t already one of the most highly anticipated of the year, when Brian Kelley released “Kiss My Boots” last month the diary page turned song quickly raced up the levels of intrigue to stand within murmurs of conversation.

Now through his newest teaser from the forthcoming album, “Dirt Road Date Night,” he swerves the momentary detour of topic spun on that last release, to instead return to his charming, country boy aura of livin’ life and love to its fullest through an unapologetic appreciation of the simple things.

Co-written by Kelley, John Byron, and Jimmy Robbins, The DIAMOND-selling superstar leans his rich vocal against the carefree paced melody, painting the awestricken smitten picture of his better half; Initially nodding his appreciation to how great she looks for a night out together in the swirl of the downtown hustle and bustle, only to then cleverly add a sly grin to the picture of her that gets him the most revved up.

On the back of the perfect set-up line, “but buddy if you saw her, how she gets in the holler,” he relays their most favorite escape as he pushes into the sway along tilt of the chorus:

“Dirt road date night

Take it where the cattails sway right

And left where the stars get a front row

Seat to a steamed-up window

Yeah, she said she wanna go fishin' in the dark

Long as there's no water where the truck gets parked

So you know I sure like

When she want a dirt road date night, alright”

Playfully rolling through the behind closed doors feel of their one-on-one time out in the holler together, in many ways flirtatiously enticing her to want to head out on their next “dirt road date night,” Kelley adds flare to the second half of the song with an optimistic ideal told through his rapidly beating heart that she’s the cause of.

“Dirt Road Date Night” not only continues to add definition to who Brian Kelley is as a solo artist, and to offer further direction that his new album is taking, but it also has radio smash written all over it. It’s catchy, it’s memorable, it’s familiar though freshly different, and it provides the perfect lead to the coming onslaught of summertime anthems; though setting the bar extremely high for others to try and follow.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis/Artwork c/o Big Machine Records)

• Prev
• Next