Country songwriter Anna Vaus has a simple philosophy: it's always first and foremost about the song. For a woman who has played with Lonestar, Billy Ray Cyrus, LeAnn Womack, Phil Vassar, and others, and recently made her Bluebird Cafe debut, this is a bold and honorable statement. We can always use more songwriters that are completely devoted to their craft, and it seems like Vaus is one of those. Her writing style is classic, yet innovative, as shown by her catalog of music on SoundCloud.
Vaus's first release to iTunes is a song titled "Friendzoned," a banjo-heavy pop country song that subtly criticizes bro-country songs and that culture. The song itself is a good introduction to Vaus's twangy and strong vocals, as the comedic element to the song and vocals emphasizes her vocal talent. This song could easily be compared to the Maddie & Tae hit, "Girl in A Country Song," with its radio friendly but country production, and comedic take on country radio.
What's impressive about this song is not that another country artist has managed to successfully talk about friend zoning in a song without sounding cheesy (which is a pretty impressive feat by itself) but the interesting perspective this song takes. The end of the chorus is the key to this perspective : "He'll never pour sugar in her Dixie cup / Can't even get her number, get her in his truck, or take her home / without getting friendzoned."
And it's not the first time Vaus has written this kind of song. She created a variation to Dierks Bentley's "Drunk on a Plane" from the ex-girlfriend's point of view, which is a parody of a song she loves, but she also created another side to the story. In this song, Vaus takes the country music cliches and describes a different man, who isn't as successful in doing all of these things as Luke Bryan or Florida Georgia Line say they are. It's brilliant: taking something talked about in country songs, and bringing in a different spin on the same topic. There's no real criticism of the country music culture, but there is a slight but obviously there tone reveals the truth: that what you hear in bro-country songs isn't depicting an accurate reality.
Overall rating: 4 ½ crowns
What's impressive about this song is not that another country artist has managed to successfully talk about friend zoning in a song without sounding cheesy (which is a pretty impressive feat by itself) but the interesting perspective this song takes. The end of the chorus is the key to this perspective : "He'll never pour sugar in her Dixie cup / Can't even get her number, get her in his truck, or take her home / without getting friendzoned."
And it's not the first time Vaus has written this kind of song. She created a variation to Dierks Bentley's "Drunk on a Plane" from the ex-girlfriend's point of view, which is a parody of a song she loves, but she also created another side to the story. In this song, Vaus takes the country music cliches and describes a different man, who isn't as successful in doing all of these things as Luke Bryan or Florida Georgia Line say they are. It's brilliant: taking something talked about in country songs, and bringing in a different spin on the same topic. There's no real criticism of the country music culture, but there is a slight but obviously there tone reveals the truth: that what you hear in bro-country songs isn't depicting an accurate reality.
Overall rating: 4 ½ crowns
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