I am always excited to come across an artist launching great new music from out of nowhere. It feels like I was invited to be a part of a club that you just know is going to explode, and when it comes to North Carolina’s Michael Raven and his new single Bends It Like A Guitar String you just know he is a name to pay close attention to.
Produced, engineered and mixed by Stacy Hogan of A Writer’s Paradise Studios in Nashville, TN, Bends It Like A Guitar String captures that professional and undeniably radio-ready sound that always seems to come from this area. When I listen to music I often feel like there is a season attached to the sound, like there are songs and albums that feel like they were made for the moods found in the specific times of year, and I have to tell you, this new banger of a song by Country Rock musician, Michael Raven very much feels like it’s meant to shine most on the hottest days of the summer.
This is an undeniable party song. Bends It Like A Guitar String captures that innocent struck-by-lightening-moment that happens when you run into a girl that is out of your league. It’s a song meant for road trips with the windows down, parties in the fields with your friends, or anywhere where people are getting together to have a good time.
Michael has a unique voice undeniably his own, so when I make some of these comparisons it is not to place him in a box to be confused with trying to be like someone else. It has been said that his music could be for fans of Jason Aldean, Cody Jinks, Hardy, Blake Shelton, Jelly Roll, and more, yet I have to tell you, there is something very Alice In Chains about the chorus of this song. The chord progression feels like the rock that matches the country in the vocals, and it is one of those songs that you just know sounds amazing live.
2024 was an incredible year for country music. The amount of genre blends and new styles of songs coming out of the industry from artists taking more chances than usual, what Michael Raven brings to the table with his new single is very much another step forward in a genre that has needed some new roads traveled for a while now.
Michael could be as much a straight rock musician if he chose to be as he has both the sound, attitude, and looks for it, but if that never happens, he will find himself forever welcome within the ever-growing and changing country rock genre. Stream Bends It Like A Guitar String on Spotify and watch both the official music video and lyric video that accompany this song on YouTube.
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