David Shelby (Highway South Records)
CD Review by Preshias
With his new CD, RUST BELT COWBOY, David Shelby proves that good country music can
originate north of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, Shelby brings some hardscrabble grit from Motor City to
Music City with a sound he describes as “Rust Belt Country”.
The new album, slated for national release August 6, 2013 via major retail Internet outlets, leaps
from the speakers with the rocking, uptempo boot-scooter lead-off track, “Kick A Little Dirt
Around” that is also the debut single from the project. Released to radio in June, the single is
already getting airplay and made an impression overseas, logging several weeks at number one
in the UK’s HotDisc Top 40.
With its unrelenting beat and repetitive chorus of the song’s title, “Kick A Little Dirt Around” is
an infectious dance number that you have to sing along to and is a sure-fire guarantee to get
audiences dancing up a sweat at Shelby’s live shows.
The tempo slows just a little with “What Kind Of Kiss” that Shelby wrote and co-produced. It
showcases his writing talent and ability to create hard-to-forget lines such as: “Is this the last
first kiss that I’m ever gonna need” as part of an instantly memorable and humble chorus.
“Stealing Honey” kicks the tempo back up with rapid fire lyrics to a semi-syncopated beat that
again demonstrates Shelby’s skill as a fine songwriter.
The only true ballad on the album is “Your Better Man,” a romantic love song that is lifted by
Shelby’s gritty, resolute voice, sometimes reminiscent of a young Bruce Springsteen.
In addition to his distinctive voice, Shelby is an accomplished instrumentalist. He has played
trumpet as part of touring families of artists as varied as The Turtles, Little Anthony & the Imperials
and Stevie Wonder, and opened for acts that include Foreigner and Styx. With RUST BELT COWBOY
David Shelby has brought Detroit to Nashville with this excellent debut project.
Be the first to comment