Chris Cagle, ‘Got My Country On’ – Song Review

With his new song 'Got My Country On,' Chris Cagle makes an smooth transition into a new style that still fits under his white cowboy hat. It's been a few years since his loyal fans have heard new music from the 'What Kinda Gone' singer. This song may be the year's strongest effort from a singer attempting a comeback.

First, the obvious: Cagle sounds like Jason Aldean. In fact country listeners too young to remember 'I Breathe In, I Breathe Out' or 'Laredo' may mistake this song for a new Jason Aldean song. Come to think of it, if Cagle grew a thin scruff of a beard, and sported an Atlanta Braves ball cap ... Nevermind. What's important is he's not trying to sound like Aldean; the performance is too confident to be imitation. Go back and listen to songs like 'Walmart Parking Lot,' the two have always been similar.

'Got My Country On' begins with a crunchy rock guitar and lyrics that go, "I worked all week to make me some money / Bring it back to mama bet she give me some honey, yeah / Cashed my check got a pocket of dollars / Loosening he buttons on my blue-collar, yeah." It's a pace and blue collar delivery that the singer hasn't attempted much, but it fits him like barbecue in a bun.

"Living the song of a rambling man / Getting it done with my own two hands / Putting some green in a coffee can / When I'm gone / When I'm gone / Treating my truck like a Cadillac / Crankin' it up in my cowboy hat / Rolling and thumping to the man in black / And singing along / I got my country on," Cagle sings in the chorus. This chorus is easy to sing along with by the second time through, and is reminiscent of a style that is red-hot on country radio right now. Suddenly, Chris Cagle is a mysterious bad-boy a la Brantley Gilbert.

"Rolling home five o'clock on a Friday / Gonna' spend the next couple days doing it my way, yeah," he adds later. Cagle is doing it his way on 'Got My Country On,' and he's made the subtle shift every artist needs to make to endure in the industry. The song is the lead single from a new album appropriately titled 'Back in the Saddle,' to be released later this year.

Listen to 'Got My Country On' by Chris Cagle