Country superstar Alan Jackson has today released his first record in six years – a 21 song strong record – Where Have You Gone. Here, we break down the record and give our thoughts.
On opening track ‘Where Have You Gone,’ Alan Jackson sings ‘sounds from the soul, fiddle I need you / sweet country music, where have you gone? – it’s a tender track expressing his love for the genre that has made his career. In a moment when the genre is diversifying, imbibing elements of hip hop and pop, Alan Jackson emerges from the off with his immensely traditional sound that is rooted in the history of the genre. Sonically, the record is rammed with traditional country instrumentation and lyrically the album is full of classic and traditional songwriting – from love, loss and sorrow to cheating and drinking. The 21 songs show that that traditional sound and ethos of the genre is still alive. As Jackson himself states, ‘It’s a little harder country than even I’ve done in the past… And it’s funny, I was driving and listening to the final mixes Keith sent me, and I started to tear up. I was surprised to get so overly emotional, but I just love this kind of music.”
‘This kind of music’ on Where Have You Gone runs the gamut of what embodies true country music. “When I write, I visualise back home and growing up,” the Country Music Hall of Fame member says. “Real country songs are life and love and heartache, drinking and Mama and having a good time…but it’s the sounds of the instruments, too. The steel and acoustic guitar, the fiddle – those things have a sound and a tone…and getting that right, the way those things make you feel, that’s country, too.”
Country music has always told the story of heartache and nowhere is that more evident than on ‘Wishful Drinkin,’ where he sings of regret and longing. ‘Wishin’ you were coming home / Wishin’ I could take back all I didn’t do.’ It’s a similar nostalgia-tinged regret that is also showcased on ‘Where the Cottonwood Grows,’ where Jackson sings, ‘I can still recall the words you said / And the plans we dreamed as we looked ahead.’ Elsewhere, Jackson returns to the well-trodden country idea of drowning heartache in alcohol on ‘Way Down in My Whiskey,’ where Jackson sings of being unable to escape a lover. ‘Oh, I can’t let her go / When the bottle’s low / She’ll be there I know.’
Jackson’s perspective as a father is nuanced and emotional. On ‘Things that Matter’ he sings of not missing the moments that matter with his daughters. ‘We only get so many trips / Around the sun / Some things matter, some things don’t / It’s up to you to choose which one.’ On ‘You’ll Always Be My Baby,’ on the other hand, Jackson sings of his enduring love for his daughters. ‘But you’ll always be my baby / No matter where you are / You’ll always be my baby / Forever in my heart.’
The authenticity of country life is imbued throughout the project, not just sonically but lyrically too. On ‘Back,’ Jackson sings of returning to his roots. ‘Tomatoes on the vine, elderberry wine / Last week’s clothes drying on the line / Mama in the kitchen, Daddy down the hall / Bourbon on the table, Jesus on the wall.’ Jackson has created a record that feels humble and authentic, even despite his superstar status and it is this return to his roots that has made this possible.
Though it is Jackson’s story and sound, the tone of the record is universal. This is a deeply emotional and personal record rooted in the sound of traditional country and one that reads as a love letter to the genre that made him the superstar he is today. The record proves yet again the longevity that country artists are able to have in their career.
