Hailing from Odenton, Maryland, Big Machine recording artist Jackson Dean had a fantastic 2022. He released his debut album, ‘Greenbroke’ (produced by Luke Dick) in March, an album that was easily one of the best of the year. He made his Opry debut, went out on tour and had a number one hit with his song, ‘Don’t Come Lookin’. We caught up with him in Nashville at the CMAFest last June to talk all about it and you can read that interview here.
For anyone who has seen Jackson Dean live, you’ll know that there is a power and a passion he exudes when he brings his songs to life. UK fans will be able to see that for themselves in May at the Highways festival at the Royal Albert Hall and then again in September at The Long Road festival but until then, you’ll have to make do with this 8 track release that captures the spirit and feeling of his show at Nashville’s iconic Ryman Auditorium. There are 6 songs from Dean’s debut album, ‘Greenbroke’ on offer here alongside two new songs that have been part of Dean’s live set for a good while now.
The album opens with ‘Greenbroke’ which has a slow, atmospheric beginning, perfect for building the anticipation of a live set. Dean’s rich, gravelly vocals and rocky, Western-tinged guitars explode in the anthemic chorus that sets the tone for the rest of this release.
‘Trailer Park’ is raw and unpolished in its live format, which only serves to make the song even better than its recorded version. Similarly, number one hit ‘Don’t Come Lookin’ benefits from a less shiny, studio finessed sheen as Dean lets his vocals and the guitars loose. There’s a power and a rawness to these ‘Greenbroke’ songs that was there on the original recording but is even more impactful live. It makes you see why Big Machine wanted to get a live recording of this emerging artist out into the public domain sooner than is typically normal for an artist just coming out of their debut album cycle.
‘Fearless’ highlights just what a great voice Jackson Dean has and also what great potential he has a writer and an artist. It’s something of an epic here as it builds to its ferocious climax whilst ‘Wings’, the flip side of ‘Fearless’ shows a more restrained, mature side with its wistful tone. ‘I wish I could fly high above everything,’ Dean sings on a song that really comes to life in this live format. There’s something about Dean’s raw, gruff vocals that are exemplified on this song and the extended outro that explodes from out of nowhere in the final third leads one person in the crowd to yell out ‘That’s what I’m talking about,’ right at the end of a powerful 6 minutes! Similarly, set-closer ‘Red Light’ brings things to a head with its thunderous beats and chugging guitars as Dean screams ‘Goodbye’ at the end of what might well be my favourite song of his in a proper and enjoyable Rock ‘n’ Roll climax!
If we are getting into the area of favourite songs I was blown away by hearing Jackson Dean play ‘Heavens to Betsy’ at the CMAFest in Nashville last year and so it’s a real treat to have that and fellow new song ‘1971’ included here on this release. ‘…Besty’ is a real step forward for Dean in terms of storytelling in the third person, which is something he doesn’t do a lot on his ‘Greenbroke’ album. It tells the story of a remorseful, dead husband, looking down on his wife and understanding that he didn’t treat her properly whilst he was alive. It’s an original and intriguing concept and there’s a lovely, melodic kind of Eagles meets Sheryl Crow vibe to the song which is a slightly different look and sound for Jackson Dean but one that he ought to do more of going forward. ‘1971’, meanwhile, is all West Coast acoustic guitars until the chorus when the drums and guitars kick in. Again, similar to ‘Heavens to Betsy’, there’s a slightly different tone to this Country rocker that brings to mind names like Sheryl Crow and maybe even Bruce Springsteen that makes you want to holler along in the chorus and pump your fist in the air.
‘Live at the Ryman’ is a great documentation of this first phase of Jackson Dean’s career. It serves to show people what a great voice he has but it also hints at the potential for the future in terms of songs like ‘Heavens to Betsy’ as Dean further develops and finesses his songwriting skills. UK fans can see for themselves in both May and September this year as he begins to build the global fan base that will take his career forward in the years to come. Great first album, great live album – we can’t wait to see what album number two has in store for us. Let’s hope it won’t be too long a wait!
Track list: 1. Greenbroke 2. Trailer Park 3. Fearless 4. Wings 5. Heavens to Betsy 6. 1971 7. Don’t Come Lookin 8. Red Light Record Label: Big Machine records Release Date: April 14th Buy ‘Live at the Ryman’ now
