Rising Sony Music Nashville artist Drew Green has been building a solid following for himself since the release of his 2020 EP ‘Dirt Boy Vol. 1’. That EP housed his breakthrough hit ‘She Got That’ and it paved the way for his viral TikTok track ‘The Rest of Our Lives’. As we hurtle towards the end of the year, the Tennessee native is releasing new 5-track collection ‘Dirt Boy Vol. 2’, the follow-up to last year’s EP.
‘Dirt Boy Vol. 2’ picks up where the first volume left off as Green continues to showcase who he is as an artist across five new songs. Opener ‘Get Up and Get It’ is a contemporary Country track that incorporates elements of hip-hop, taking Green’s sound closer to the likes of Florida Georgia Line than we’ve heard before. It’s a solid enough track but it’s definitely not the best Green has to offer here. That comes on second track ‘Cold Beer and Copenhagen’, a song that is as far away from ‘Get Up and Get It’ as is possible. The stirring ballad mixes stirring pedal steel with Green’s engaging vocal as he sings about loving things that are bad for him.
‘Dirt Boy’ sonically sits somewhere between the EP’s first two tracks. It’s a bit closer to tradition than the opener and lyrically it touches on plenty of the usual Country music tropes. The song builds nicely and I can imagine it’s one that will work well in his live shows. ‘Hooch’, one of the songs released ahead of the EP, has a swampy bluesy beat as Green’s vocal drops swagger over a R&B-style vocal delivery. It’s an out-and-out party track, perfect for cracking out some cold ones with your mates.
EP closer ‘John Deere Blue’ is an anthemic way to end things. Like many of the tracks here, Green straddles the worlds of traditional and contemporary Country. This song works in the current climate of Country radio but there’s enough traditional elements in that, with a hint of rock, to please those that like their music more like the giants of the genre.
‘Dirt Boy Vol. 2’ doesn’t give a definitive idea of Green’s sound but it shows that he’s capable of swinging between tradition and contemporary. For me, he excels in the more traditional numbers and moving forward I’d love to hear more songs along the lines of ‘Cold Beer and Copenhagen’. We live in an age where artists are free to experiment with their sound and push boundaries, and as a singer-songwriter at the start of his journey there’s nothing wrong with Green taking the time to really find his feet.
Track listing: 1. Get Up and Get It 2. Cold Beer and Copenhagen 3. Dirt Boy 4. Hooch 5. John Deere Blue Record label: Sony Music Nashville Release date: 29th October 2021 Buy ‘Dirt Boy Vol. 2’ now
[rwp-reviewer-rating-stars id=”0″]
