With a thrusting stomp, an acoustic guitar sparks “Little Bit of Texas” to life. The lead single and title track of Carlos Washington’s Steel Horse Swing’s new album doesn’t start us off with a lot of pomp and predictable country intro stuff – from the moment we press play on this track-forward, the rip-roar rhythm of the band’s play guides every movement in the music (and our hips, for that matter). There’s an uncaged sense of urgency in our leading man’s voice, but Washington is never rushed through his verses. His slow-rolling drawl and the rambunctious chemistry of the Steel Horse Swing make for quite the combo in this song, and if you ask me, it’s one of the more attractive country outings worth looking up this season.
URL: https://www.steelhorseswing.com/
Instrumentally, there’s nothing overtly experimental about what “Little Bit of Texas” is made of. What really sets this track aside from all of the other country tunes I’ve been hearing in the month of May is its aesthetical construct; rather than drawing from the well of old Nashville exclusively, Washington takes from western, folk and even California-style swing in his crusade to make country great again. I could tell from the beginning that I was in for some really high quality beats in this track not only because of its port of origin, but more specifically, because of its disciplined grooves. If I didn’t know better, I would have assumed Carlos Washington was a seasoned veteran of the studio upon hearing this for the first time.
I would have liked a little more volume on the drum parts in “Little Bit of Texas,” but I suppose I can appreciate the kind of sound Washington was striving to create here instead. There definitely wouldn’t have been as much room in the mix for the wallop of the string play had the percussion been given a more physical presence, and the vocals already glide above the instrumental flow as though they were squeezed in as a mere cherry on top of the sonic sundae. There’s a method to Washington’s madness here, and if even a fraction of his peers in and out of the country music establishment were to follow his complex creative lead, the genre would probably be better off for it.
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/little-bit-of-texas/1477401150?i=1477401152&ign-gact=3&ls=1
“Little Bit of Texas” concludes much as it first begins – with a chill-inducing harmony that disappears from the air as quickly as it overtook the space around us. I’ve been listening to a lot of interesting country music crossovers in the year 2020, but I don’t believe I’ve heard anyone with the kind of freewheeling spirit that Carlos Washington adds into the melting pot of melodies featured here. He’s got a lot of potential that he could shape into something commercial or entirely independent just the same, and regardless of what direction he takes the Steel Horse Swing in, I think he’s going to keep things interesting in his scene for some time to come. The 20’s are just getting started, but from the sounds of this single, this cowboy is already playing for keeps.
Jodi Marxbury