Crossin Dixon, “Guitar Slinger”
Is it just me, or has there been a lot of this lately? Flynnville Train, Halfway to Hazard, Cole Deggs & The Lonesome, Whiskey Falls, and now, Crossin Dixon. Young guys, more southern rock than country, all with a similar look and groove. I’m not sure how any one of them is going to break out of the pack. Whiskey Falls put out an awesome single earlier this year and it got lost in the shuffle, and the other acts all seem to stall around the thirties on the singles chart.
It would be a shame for the same fate to fall on “Guitar Slinger”, which is powered by some impressive harmonies and a believable vocal. I enjoyed this quite a bit, actually. I look forward to hearing more from them.
Grade: B
Listen: Guitar Slinger
This is a trend in the last six months that is scary to happen all at once. I’m really glad that you pointed out the fact that Whiskey Falls, with “Last Train Runnin” didn’t catch the play it deserved, and sadly, most people didn’t even notice.
As these bands have all hit the scene all at once, it is going to be really tough to find an audience. As Halfway to Hazard snagged the coveted gig of opening the Soul 2 Soul Tour (Part 54?) this summer with McGraw and Hill, it seems that they will have the best shot. Often it’s that kind of exposure that gets the ball rolling, and having Tim McGraw as their producer gets them the curiosity of his faithful (though little good it did the Warren Brothers.)
As for this single, I only have one problem with it, and its just a matter of personal taste. The song is well delivered and instrumentally sound, but I don’t wanna hear about how you got your sound, played the bars, and did the same thing that every band in the country universe did too. You were broke? Who wasn’t? And though its a nice nod to the Allman Brothers, the Midnight Rider reference is out of place. Second coming? Not quite. So if this was the bands way of introducing themselves, then it’s nice to meet you, fellas. But for us to meet again, try a little harder, and give me a reason to listen.
All of these bands, Whiskey Falls, Flynville Train, and Crossin Dixon are all exactly the same. They’re putting out songs that are Southern Rock but without any heart. It’s like the Nashville songwriting factories are putting out sterile rock music now.
This particular song really gets on my nerves because the guy is almost rapping during the verses, and then claims that he’s the “second coming of the midnight rider”.
My response is, “Oh yeah? And who the hell are you?”
This song is unbelievable, and I find it sad that these guys put out a song likening themselves to the greats of Southern Rock like Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers. I think it’s just plain pathetic.
Dan, You need to chill out a little bit and not take things so literally. Crossin Dixon did not write this song so they are not likening themselves to the Allman Brothers or anyone else. Have you guys ever heard of listening to music for fun. That’s what this song is, it’s fun. It’s not Bob Dylan and it’s not Neil Young it’s just fun Country/Rock music. Loosen up your undies a little bit. These guys are just having fun doing something that they love to do and they do it very very well. I have an advance copy of their CD and it is one of the strongest releases from beginning to end that I have heard in a long time from any genre of music. These guys are the real deal and if they get the right push from their record company then you are going to hear alot more of them. They have great harmonies and they know how to rock. They are not just some overnight thing they have been doing this for a while. My closest comparison to them is Alabama and Restless Heart but they rock a bit more than those bands did. They are good guys and they are not arrogant like you seem to be implying they are. If you get a chance go to youtube and find the video of them performing the song Nineteen live for a radio station they visited. It’s gives you a good indication of what they are about. This song was also written by someone else and is current being released by a band called Waycross.
These guys are the real deal! I had the pleasure of attending an acoustic performance by them and they did a BEAUTIFUL job!! I will be buying their cd and looking for a show to attend!!! Rock on Crossin Dixon!
my boyfriend loves that song he says that it explains his life so when i talk to him on the fone he sings that song every day so i want to thank you because you made my boyfriend happy when he first heard that song
THESE GUYS ARE AWSOME!!!!