The Earliest Bird: Top New Recorded Release 1-20-23 – 1-26-23, Hardy’s (featuring Morgan Wallen) “Red” Reviewed
The follow-up to Hardy’s neo class country song of woman beating and retribution and State vengeance, “Wait In The Truck” is a very well rounded take of apolitical redneckisms: an ode to not Red States but small towns, the blue collar working class, the state of mind of men who work out of doors for very, very little.
Hardy has ben on fire since I saw him opening for his friend Morgan Wallen, nearly exactly a year ago; if you read the credits to Morgan songs you will see HARDY’s name all over them, as well as his other “bro” Ernest. The three of them came up through the ranks back in 2015-2017 and one them went further than the other two but all three are the boygenius of country: a supergroup in the making.
HARDY rocks like a sonofabitch adding a metal vibe to country as he began his 40 minute slam dunk and, even more than Morgan, he is a culture warrior. In modern country fashion he is spending all his money on his pick-up and when he isn’t, is not afraid to roar how the USA is the greatest country in the world. Is it? Well, if so stop being threatened by minorities. It’s not that minorities can’t live with whites from wherever, it is that, one way or another, they aren’t a threat. The difference between screaming “Fuck Donald Trump” and “Fuck Joe Biden” is, everything else not withstanding, Trump was a terrible president because he didn’t merely sign on to white supremacy, he orchestrated it. The end of all this, is that obvious partners against the status quo, Southern working class and black Americans are fighting over nothing while the rich steal everything the middle class and working poor deserve. I really like HARDY but he is a complete moron politically as a rule of thumb. but apolitically “Red” is a great song.
Written with the help of a terrific songwriter, Ben Hayslip, and sungalongaMorgan on a straight up duet, it is well observed and yet also exclusive, according to the lyric it probably would make zero sense if you’re not from a small town and instead of invited friends and blue staters it closes them off but it is so good it wins you over anyway, give it a chance and you might decide to jump on your tractor and drive into the summer.
Grade: B+
