Between the heat coming off of the vocal/guitar harmonies and the thrust of the mad percussive force behind a country twang, it’s made obvious to us from the get-go that Tennessee Outlaw Country and Matt Westin mean serious business in “Ghost Train,” their first single together as a collective.
Westin has been gaining a lot of momentum in the underground lately and listening to his vocal performance in this piece definitely makes all of the hype rather easy to understand. Rather than just attacking the hook with the kind of forcefulness that we’re getting from Tennessee Outlaw Country in this single, he’s taking things relatively easy at the helm of the song, appropriating as much melodicism as he does aggression when and where it counts the most. These are undeniably methodical players who know a thing or two about the classic outlaw country aesthetic, but they aren’t letting their love of the old school taint the modern bend they’re putting on the genre in 2022. In summary, “Ghost Train” is what its title would have us believe it to be – a shot out of the past designed to reignite passion in the present.
Lyrically speaking, I wouldn’t say Westin is adventuring well outside of the territory he’s already been exploring as a songwriter in this performance, but he’s also avoiding some of the more minimalistic themes becoming increasingly common in rip-roar country-rock over the past couple of years. There’s no insularity to his statements; he’s taking us on a journey with him, and the pinch of the percussion behind him makes it feel all the more urgent that we join in the odyssey.
URL: https://www.tennesseeoutlaw.com/
There’s a freewheeling vibe to the structure of the instrumentation in “Ghost Train,” but it’s framed with such a disciplined method of delivery from Tennessee Outlaw Country that the juxtaposition feels rather ironic, all things considered. The swing of the beat here certainly adds to the sensibilities of the lyrics more than a typical groove would have, and when analyzing the single in its totality, there’s really no getting around just how collaborative an effort this is from top to bottom.
Tennessee Outlaw Country more than live up to their moniker in this all-new single with Matt Westin, and I think both parties are going to benefit exponentially from the work they’re putting in together here. There are a lot of commonalities between “Ghost Train” and the rebelliousness of a bygone era in the anti-establishment Nashville scene, with the major difference coming in the detailed production quality, which places us at the front of the crowd before a truly incendiary, live-quality performance from the band. I’m starting to expect a lot out of Westin, but with continuous performances of this quality coming down the pipes, it’s hard to deny just how reliable a player he’s become in a short amount of time. I doubt this is his peak, nor that of his collaborative band, and I can’t wait to hear how they’re going to develop this crossover sound even further.
Heather Savage
