Newcomer Brent Anderson samples the chorus from one of the greatest one hit wonders of the '70s on his debut single 'Amy's Song.' The folk-country singer folds Pure Prairie League's 'Amie' into a story that is really quite different from their original. His sweetness should prove to be enough to protect him from earning the same fate as the Waverly, Ohio soft rockers.

Anderson's sings in a way that isn't quite bar room smoky; he's more candle or incense smoky. The soft acoustic intro gives way to his story of meeting a girl before a show. "She never seen the band but she was a fan, she'd heard a couple of songs online / We sat there talking 'til the club filled up and it was show time / I said I didn't catch your name and she said Amy / I said will I see you after the show and she said maybe," he sings.

Throughout the show, he searches for this beauty but is blinded by the lights. As a closer to the set, the protagonist chooses the Pure Prairie League hit. "And I sang Amy / What you wanna do / I think that I could stay with you / For a while, maybe longer if I do." It's a creative way to weave some familiarity into the song. The biggest obstacle facing new artists is that country listeners often don't know what they like, but they sure do like what they know. By sampling 'Amie,' Anderson breaks down a barrier without lamely throwing a cover song to fans as his first attempt to win hearts over. It's a clever trick that's proven successful before (Brad Paisley's 'Old Alabama'), but rarely by a new artist.

Unlike the 1973 hit, it's the female who's doing the heartbreaking in this song. Anderson laments that she's only the type of girl you date on-and-off. She's beautiful, sweet and complicated. "She'll break my heart / Then she'll show up where I'm playing," he sings. One potentially fatal flaw is that songs that feel too personal to a singer often fail to let listeners in. Fans who haven't been in a country band will have to modify a few details to wear this song as their own. There's an innocence to his delivery that's hard to resist, however, making this song easy to pull for. Both the singer and the guy in the song are puppy dogs that should have no trouble getting adopted.

4 Stars
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Listen to Brent Anderson, 'Amy's Song'

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