I have a Twitter account which I don’t use on a regular basis. Last night (Tuesday, January 21 2014), I see Mr. Ronnie Dunn tweeting about his new newly released iTunes single “Grown Damn Man“ and I had already checked it out. I tweet to him and lo and behold we exchange a few tweets and I receive a follow from Mr. Dunn himself. He then asks me my thoughts on the new song. Me.
Well, here I go feeling a little bit of pressure to do the song and the man justice. I’m going to do this, as I do all my reviews, from the perspective of a listener, a lover of country music. Not a person trained in the language of music, instruments, production. Very much the layman.
“Grown Damn Man” knocked my socks off from the get go with guitar that was as rough around the edges as the man Ronnie describes himself to be in the song. Musically, instrumentally, melodically “Grown Damn Man” is a perfect mirror to its lyrics, reckless and full of life and not complicated at all.
I am not a musicologist but I greatly appreciate lyrics that have personal meaning. Ronnie Dunn has a way of connecting his lyrics to the individual listening. The combination of being a Texas born, Oklahoman raised son of a country music enthusiast and having briefly studied theology and psychology seems to have given him insight and ability to put that awareness into his songs.
the lines on my face had to fight to earn its place
I’ve been around enough by now, got a few things figured out
I’m not rich but I get by
walk thru life with my head held high
got my good, bad days
I like my music with a twang
by the grace of God
I live simple, I work hard
I’m a grown damn man
rough around the edges that’s what I am
And hell, you don’t have to be a man to appreciate these lines.
The twang is there, the traditional country feel, the nitty gritty honky tonk quality that has no bells and whistles and certainly doesn’t need them. “Grown Damn Man” separates itself from much of today’s country radio. It is no frills, straightforward. I find nothing about “Grown Damn Man” to be modern country pop. The voice is distinctly Ronnie Dunn.
Ronnie Dunn has a 5 star hit on his hands, “Grown Damn Man”, that is reminiscent of country music’s roots and he has a style that will keep the genre moving onward. Let the Cowboy rock!
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