In his new brand new song "American," Aussie Morgan Evans channels another famous contemporary from Down Under — Keith Urban. And in terms of production value and performance, that's definitely a compliment.
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You probably know Evans from his 2017 single "Kiss Somebody," which took off on streaming platforms before going to country radio and helped establish the Australian stateside. (He also performed the song on the ABC show The Bachelorette).
On "American," Evans maintains that weak-in-the-knees sentimentalism. But this time, Evans also writes a bit of an ode to his new home country.
So what makes "American" feel reminiscent of, say, Golden Road era Keith Urban? For starters, Evans' vocal performance is spot on. There's a hint of that classic Urban "whine" as his words fall off near the end. And it's not hard to hear that guitar-heavy chorus fitting in with a playlist featuring songs like "Who Wouldn't Want To Be Me."
Evans hits on several key points of American nostalgia in comparing his love interest to our fare country. There are references to classic rock greats like Bruce Springsteen and the Eagles. And in one of the more clever moments, he says this woman is "one part Norma Jean and one part Marilyn."
That refers to Marilyn Monroe, whose given name was Norma Jean. It's a clever way of saying the girl can both be unassuming and completely steal the show.
Read More: Morgan Evans and Kelsea Ballerini Explore Hawaii in 'Day Drunk' Music Video
Genuine
While there's no shortage of love songs seemingly impressed with the fact that women do indeed possess complex personalities and are capable of more than simply looking pretty, "American" does a good job of not necessarily trivializing the concept.
And while some songs feel like they use a comparison between America and an American girl as a cheap ploy, "American" feels genuine. That's because the writers do a good job of getting to the root of the diversity of the country itself. Plus, it always feels just a bit cooler when a song like "American" comes from a foreigner.
Hailing from Newcastle, South Wales, Australia, Morgan Evans wrote "American" with heavyweights Chris DeStefano and Josh Osborne. Evans married fellow country singer Kelsea Ballerini in Mexico on December 2 last year.
Signed to the Warner Music Nashville record label, the country music singer relocated to Nashville in early 2017. He recently joined Chris Young for several tour dates on the Losing Sleep World Tour.
But Evans has been making music for a while. He released his debut album in 2014. He then released several singles, including "Day Drunk" and "I Do," which is about his marriage to Ballerini.
Morgan Evans "American" Lyrics
She got hair as gold as Kansas wheat
Her body moves like Bourbon street
In New Orleans, so wild and free
She's a California red sunset
Stars in her eyes, stripes on her dress
Every summer night feels like the fourth of July
She's American
Making my world better than it's ever been
One part Norma Jean and one part Marilyn
She's making me fall in love with everything American
She's a small town smile, a little white church
'Born to run' on a faded t-shirt
All I know is I'm at home when I'm with her
Yeah, I grew up singing Eagles songs
Sometimes I wonder what took so long
To feel enough to give the best of my love
She's New York pretty all dressed up
But a southern belle in the back of her truck
On an old dirt road, she's where I wanna go
She's American
Making my world better than it's ever been
One part Norma Jean and one part Marilyn
She's making me fall in love with everything American
She's a small town smile, a little white church
'Born to run' on a faded t-shirt
All I know is I'm at home when I'm with her
She's American
Making my world better than it's ever been
One part Norma Jean and one part Marilyn
She's making me fall in love with everything American
