The new single from singer-songwriter Alli Walker is a treasure hunt for fans of country music. The appropriately titled track, “Country Music,” is an ode to some of the most influential country songs to have played a role in Walker’s life and drops names like we’re fighting a war for nostalgia.
The upbeat track is a sentimentally saccharine retrospective on the soundtrack to Walker’s youth, practically dripping with the sunshine left behind by happier days. Just imagine if Julie Andrews’ “Favourite Things” had all been country songs and the von Trapp kids picked up a few habits from George Jones.
Fans have already gotten a taste of “Country Music,” the single getting its debut as a demo on TikTok earlier this year and wracking up a million views. The early release allowed Walker and co-writers Dustin Bird (Open Road Recordings) and Brian John Harwood (Kansas Stone), to connect with fans over their own favourite country music classics.
Naturally, the song is absolutely littered with references to the genre’s legends. For fans of country music, it’s like revisiting old friends and, for anyone else, it’s a good place to start getting familiar with it.
“I wanted the production, storytelling and emotion of this song to feel as nostalgic as it does when listening to some of the songs we mention in the track,” says Walker.
“I can still remember belting out Alison Krauss’s part in ‘Whiskey Lullaby’ when I was a teenager, repeating ‘Remember When’ by Alan Jackson over and over on my little blue MP3 player and performing ’Strawberry Wine’ to a slow dancing crowd with my cover band. When I sing this song it brings back so many memories of discovering my favourite country tracks throughout my life.”
The new single is the first release from Walker since her 2019 debut album The Basement Sessions in Fall 2019, and one that Walker says represents a new direction in her career path.
“Prior to my debut album, I spent over 10 years getting my feet wet – I knew I needed my 10K hours and my ‘dues paid’ before I released anything of my own,” says Walker. “Writing, recording, and releasing my debut album on my own in 2019 was the perfect experience on what it takes to be an independent artist and still cut through the noise. The response far exceeded my expectations and I could not be more excited for everyone to hear this new music from my next life chapter.”
We’ll be hearing a lot more about that new direction in the Fall of 2022, when Walker plans to release her sophomore album.
Show Dates:
10.21.21 – Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo
10.23.21 – Chatham, ON @ Sons of Kent Brewing