At the last Birdcloud Cool Christmas, Joshua Hedley took the stage and performed a stunning rendition of “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” His long-standing presence performing at Nashville honky-tonks was a sufficient endorsement of his skill but actually heard him sing in person is a different experience altogether. It was confirmation that his upcoming Third Man Records release was worthy of anticipation.
The title track to said album, “Mr. Jukebox”, is now available in the form of this official video and it delivers as one would hope. In it Hedley does battle with a director wanting to exploit his country style, having him perform from a beaten down country home, riding a horse with a banjo or sitting in a rocking chair with a gun in his lap. It’s a funny video but, moreso, a commentary on the Modern Country World that Hedley doesn’t quite fit into. Thankfully.
There’s plenty of Classic Twangâ„¢ to his voice, backed by slide guitar, piano flourishes and a catchy hook. The album is surely filled with the same refreshing style and be pre-ordered over at Third Man now.
Side note: If you aren’t following @joshuahedley on Twitter, you’re missing out.