“One Mississippi”
Kane Brown
Written by Kane Brown, Jesse Frasure, Levon Gray, and Ernest Keith Smith
I’m trying to remember the last time I’ve been so excited by a country radio artist. It has to have been at least a decade, unless we count some of the ones that have been pitched to radio but not really played.
Kane Brown keeps getting more and more interesting with his choices in the studio. Applying the lesson taught by Shania Twain but too often forgotten over the years, Brown understands that you can take the structure of a pop record and embellish it with country instrumentation to create a delightful concoction that isn’t ashamed of its pop or its country identity.
“One Mississippi” is driven by a relentless fiddle that pulsates throughout the record. It’s the best damn fiddle that I’ve heard on a country record in recent memory, and it gives “One Mississippi” its own racing heartbeat that represents the nervousness, excitement, and uncertainty Brown is feeling as he bounces between waiting to reconnect with his on again, off again lover and then making the 3 AM, whiskey-assisted reconnection.
The bombast of the record is used appropriately, with the bridge and chorus capturing the actual hook up bringing in the arena anthem sounds, while the verses strip everything down to bare instrumentation, as he spends his time pining for the girl that he clearly loves, but only wants him for a tumble in the dark from time to time.
The characters are sharply drawn, the emotions are nuanced and grounded in reality, and the hook is relentlessly catchy.
“One Mississippi” is just deliriously good. Kane Brown has once again demonstrated just how creative and entertaining a mainstream country record can be in 2021. I can’t wait to hear what he does next.
Grade: A
I’m actually quite liking this! This is the best thing I’ve heard from Kane Brown, so far. I really like the catchy melody, and as you said, it has some of the best fiddle I’ve heard in a mainstream country single in a very long while. I especially love the fiddle intro, and even the electric guitar solo is memorable. The “One Mississippi, two Mississippi” part in the chorus is pretty catchy, too.
This is more along the kind of stuff that I’ve been wanting to hear from Kane ever since he’s mentioned how much he’s been influenced by traditional country artists, namely Randy Travis. I think this one balances the traditional and modern styles just right, and it really suits his voice, imo. I wouldn’t rag on modern country quite as much if more of it at least sounded like this.
…the delayed bro answer song to “drunk girl”? by the way, i always thought chris janson’s “drunk girl” was some of the most hypocritical garbage ever in country music – or even in all of music. for kane brown, i hope the girl doesn’t throw up after the third shot. that could take their relationship from slightly complicated to real messy. catchy trash with #1 potential.
The lyrics don’t support that reading, Tom. Brown is taking three shots to get him ready to be all that she wants him to be – the late night toss in the sheets – despite him carrying a flame for her that only gets tended to when she wants to hook up. “Three shots of whiskey, are you on your way?” is followed by “I’m tipsy.”
So it could be a “Drunk Boy” version of “Drunk Girl,” I suppose. But it’s definitely not a man giving a girl more alcohol she can handle so he can hook up with her.
Brown’s work simply doesn’t have the toxic masculinity that defines bro country. I wouldn’t enjoy his work if he did.