Photo by Thomas Haney
Russell Dickerson
Russell Dickerson
Nashville is the capital of country music, but if there’s a poster boy for the way the city’s music scene has diversified in more recent times, it might be Russell Dickerson.
A Tennessee guy through and through, having grown up in the state, Dickerson is a country artist. But he’s making his mark with a sound that also filters in healthy bits of modern soul, R&B, rock and pop, which seems like a good reflection of the music scene of today’s Nashville. It’s all a function of the music he heard with friends, particularly once he arrived in Nashville.
“We moved from a little small town in West Tennessee (Union City) and all I pretty much knew was country,” Dickerson said in a recent phone interview. “Once I got to Nashville, you’d think it would be all country, but I mean, in the public school system of a major city, you know, it was Usher, it was Ludacris, it was Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink-182, Shania Twain, Mariah Carey, whatever. It was just so much of everything and that’s just, I’m proud of the music. Yeah, there was also Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw and all of that stuff, too. But it’s just like all of that mixed together was my influence, was my sound.”
That multi-genre signature is present more clearly than ever on Dickerson’s self-titled third album. Prime examples of country-pop offerings include “She’s Why,” a cheery tune that bounces along at an easy-going clip, and “18,” which alternates between percolating verses and a chorus that kicks up the energy with a driving drum track and expansive vocal. The R&B/hip-hop influence filters into his music, particularly in the sing-song cadences and grooves of “All the Same Friends,” “Big Wheels” and “Sorry.” And on the ballads “Just Like Your Mama” and “Blame It on Being Young” and the rambling rocker “I Still Believe,” Dickerson’s country influence shines brightly.
Gaining Momentum
Dickerson must be doing something right with his music because his career continues to gain momentum. His first major impact came via the single, “Yours,” which became the title track to his second EP in 2016. The slow-burning song spent nearly 40 weeks on Billboard magazine’s Country Airplay chart, finally reaching No. 1 in January 2018, three months after the song had once again served as a title track, this time to Dickerson’s first full-length album, which was released in October 2017. Two subsequent singles, “Blue Tacoma” and “Every Little Thing,” brought the total of No. 1 singles from the Yours album to three.
Dickerson’s second album, 2020’s Southern Symphony, added another No. 1 hit with “Love You Like I Used To.” That brings things to the self-titled album, which so far has given Dickerson another hit in “She Likes It.” Although that song stalled in the top 20, it’s been certified platinum.
The self-titled album (or “The Afterparty Deluxe”) may be the most authentic collection of songs Dickerson has released so far, considering he stepped up his involvement throughout the album-making process.
He shares writing credits on all 15 songs and also co-produced the album. “I just feel like each album I get more comfortable with getting more deeply involved in the process,” Dickerson said, noting he’s learned to be more assertive with his co-producers, engineers and musicians and speak up when something needs to be addressed.
Upbeat Lyrics
Dickerson’s songwriting input has predominantly resulted in songs with upbeat lyrics. And the self-titled album continues that trend, although a few songs go a bit deeper emotionally. A prime example is the song “I Wonder,” on which Dickerson remembers the second thoughts he had about a breakup. But mostly, “Russell Dickerson” is populated by happier romantic sentiments (“She Likes It” and “God Gave Me a Girl”) and tales of youthful mischief (“Blame It on Being Young”) and good times (“Big Wheels,” “All The Same Friends” and “Beers to the Summer”). Again, that’s just Dickerson being authentic.
“If you ask anybody who knows me well, I’m rarely sad. I’m rarely down,” he said. “I don’t know, that’s just my life experience. And those songs are way more fun to play. ‘Big Wheel’ and ‘Float’ and everything, that’s way more fun to play live. I would much rather play those every night than sad songs.”
And Dickerson will get to play his good-time songs quite often during the rest of the year. He has a headlining tour running into November that takes him into theaters, large clubs and a few arenas.
Dickerson and his touring band put considerable effort into the live shows, dialing in their sound and the song selection. “Me and my band leader, we put in hours and hours working on the set list and coming up with something fresh, I think, moreso for the songs we’ve been playing for at least five years now, (like) ‘Yours,’ ‘Blue Tacoma,’ and all of that,” Dickerson added. “So (we work on) finding new ways to spice those up and keep those interesting while also introducing new songs from the (self-titled) album, like ‘18’ and ‘She’s Why.’”
