Cassadee Pope's rock roots show on "Take You Home," her first single in nearly two years and her first release as an independent artist.

The song is a rocker that was probably written with a guy in mind, and that makes it unique. Brett Eldredge is currently on the radio with a much slower, more romantic version of this theme, but comparing "Take You Home" to "The Long Way" is like comparing Beyonce to Sinatra.

The 28-year-old does't want to take this guy home for the night. She wants to introduce him to the map dot hot spots that shaped her, letting him in on why she's the way she is and (most importantly) why she's into him. There's an untapped version of female empowerment happening here that will suit women who want to pay for dinner or feel it's OK to propose marriage to the guy just fine.

This message is bundled in a very pop-friendly rock setting that's heavy on effects and light on organic. Here Pope leans further away from a sound the older generation embraced, toward a very modern version of country music. She tells Taste of Country she loves how diverse country music is right now, and with "Take You Home" she's certainly taking advantage of that. It's "hot" in many unique ways.

Did You Know?: Pope is working on new music as a totally independent artist, which she admits is both exciting and terrifying.

Cassadee Pope's "Take You Home" Helped Her 'Escape the Sadness'

Cassadee Pope's "Take You Home" Lyrics:

I know I just met you / Been talking your ears off / But I wanna know everything / And I got all night long / Are you trying to be someone for someone / Cause you remind me of where I come from / SO boy I know it’s kind soon / But I’ll tell you what I wanna do.

Chorus:
I wanna take you home / I ain’t talking about a two-mile ride back to my place / Oh this ain’t the same old song about two hearts that can knot, one and done on a Friday / No boy I’m talking about a map dot town that nobody knows / That will tell you everything you need to know / About me and why I talk like I do / And why I’m falling for you and why I take it slow / I wanna take you home / Yeah I wanna take you home.

Daddy’s gonna love you / He’ll probably talk your ears off / Drive you by the little church that saved me when I got lost / Take you down roads that I grew up on / Wishing on stars that I used to wish on / Kiss you on the bleachers on the 50-yard-line / Boy I wanna …

Oh, I ain’t trying to jump the gun / Sure ain’t trying to make you run / But the second I saw you I knew I had to get you alone.

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