David Alex-Barton, who is from New England and is currently based in Nashville, was a founding member of Boston’s The Outlets before country rock became part of his career; in the power pop punk group he was in charge of songwriting, provided the vocals, and played guitar. He then spent several years touring throughout New England with Tattoo Cowboy, and the single ‘Crush’, which he wrote in downtown Nashville, falls within the modern country rock phase of his musical history and has a party atmosphere at its heart.

The most interesting aspect of Barton’s approach to this new release is his background stretching from Boston to Nashville. Although power pop, punk and country may end up on different shelves, they all have a taste for ordinary subjects treated with personality. The subject of attraction is useful to all three of these genres. A crush provides a songwriter with something immediate to work on: excitement, distraction, and the chance of making a complete fool of oneself. Combine it with the idea of a country rock party and the setting becomes almost self-evident.

There’s also a pleasant aspect in an artist accepting such a straightforward instruction. Since “Crush” promises a good time, it places a certain responsibility on the song, for listeners can easily judge whether that promise has been kept. Party music wins its place by creating a desire to keep it going, whether the situation is one of a crowded room or someone raising the volume as they are about to leave the house. The topic is well suited to this purpose since romantic anticipation possesses a great deal of its own energy.

The fact that Barton has been involved with Tattoo Cowboy provides this single with a solid link to country rock apart from his present address in Nashville. Having worked in that scene as a vocalist, guitarist and songwriter, he has experience in it. Furthermore, his previous work with The Outlets contributes another aspect, one that is based in Boston’s power pop punk scene. Taken together, these different roles mean that ‘Crush’ is an interesting item to look at in the context of his career, since the country direction is something that he has a background in and the party theme allows space for the sociable personality connected with his earlier musical roots.

His position in the country charts provides additional background: four of his songs have made it into the top ten of the Hot Disc Top Forty Country Charts, and he is at present working with Shake ’Em Up Music and Liberty Music Licensing. He is involved with these organisations shows that he is actively expanding his country audience while drawing on experience from various parts of the music industry.

The most important aspect of “Crush” for me is the way background meets purpose. A power pop punk musician from Boston composes a modern country rock party song in downtown Nashville. There is a clear link in this combination: songs based on familiar impulses, which are written for people who want a boost of energy during the evening. The song has an appealing idea and Barton’s background gives it a personality that is worth paying attention to.

*This review was made possible by MusoSoup