BY LESLEY HASTINGS

Maryland’s Jackson Dean needs no introduction I’m sure to those of you reading this! 

A now frequent and most welcome visitor to our shores this interview came on the back of his performance at C2C Berlin and a few days before London’s C2C …..and news of the release date for his new album “Magnolia Sage” being announced. 

So as always we had a lot to chat about! I began by welcoming him back and asking if landing in London felt like coming home yet….

“I am getting used to it. Let’s put it that way, huh? I mean, we’re right smack in the middle of it this time. A lot of people walking around. The premiere of ‘Project Hail Mary’ was right outside our hotel . Ryan Gosling came, it was wild. I was just like, my God.” 

As mentioned earlier, Jackson had hot footed it from Berlin and was preparing to co-host the main stage at London’s C2C with the legendary Bob Harris. 
I wondered if that that was new territory for him and if he’d had any tips from anybody? 

“Oh, they’ve put me through (chuckles!) a few hours or so of preparation for this!! I’m excited, 
I’ve never done anything like this or even kind of like this before.  But I’m just gonna follow Bob, and I think it’s gonna be quite an honour to stand up there with him, he’s educated so many people about all sorts of music over I don’t know how many years . But I’m excited to pull some stuff out of him, to have tell people that they don’t know.  He’s told me so many stories where I’m just like, there’s no way, Bob, that that’s accurate (laughs) like, there’s no way, but it’s all true!”  

And of course Jackson is also playing a 45min set at Saturday’s after party, that announcement had been so popular though I mentioned to him that a lot of people were hoping he’d be performing in the arena. What can we expect from that…is his band here too? (I was aware that this chat would get out there after the weekend but wanted to know his plans anyway!) 

“No, it’s just me. 
Solo acoustic and songs will be a little bit different. I think it’ll be good. I’ll  talk a little bit, I know everybody will have had days of full band, live action so I’ll get to bring it down a little bit.  It’s an incredible honour to be here but to come all this way and not play?? I’m grateful to do that performance”. 


Are the fans going to get any of the as yet unreleased songs from the new album? 

“Oh, yeah. We’ve gotten our hands on everything. There’s a few on this record that are quite difficult to play and sing at the same time tho! (laughing)”

I joked we may get some acapella then….

“So it might be a little 30 seconds of a few of them, but no, we’re rocking along. 
These songs are feeling really good. I’m excited.  You know, songs go through cycles where you’re, like, you’re figuring it out, and then it feels really tight, and then somewhere along the line, you’re just, like, wait a minute….. 
how is this supposed to feel? And then it’s weird for a little bit then it comes back, at least that’s the way it feels to us on stage, you know?” 

As well as recording the album Jackson has been so busy touring since we last spoke…he seems to have been everywhere and I’m sure has a doppelgänger! Of course he had his UK tour to conclude and I thanked him for debuting ‘Hey Mississippi‘ in London the evening after we’d spoken (a special moment and a big honour) and he’s also been on the road with Lee Brice in Australia and New Zealand and Brad Paisley in Canada. 

Was there one highlight or story of those tours he’d like to pick? 

“New Zealand sticks in my mind.  All the shows over there….we had a great run. The last show of the tour was there and was one of the best shows of the tour. They gave me an All Black’s jersey and I walked out for the encore with it, and they just start going crazy. So I walked up to the mic, you know… and people were getting hyped, like, doing the Haka before the rugby. It was so cool, they were so into it…..it was awesome! ” 

Another exciting event in Jackson’s life is that he has recently got engaged! I congratulated him and Shannon and said that the news probably broke a few of his fans’ hearts but hopefully they’d forgive him as she’s been the muse for the new album. Big Machine Label boss Scott Borchetta had told me when we chatted briefly that he considered “Magnolia Sage” to be a very sexy album. What’s Jackson’s reaction to that description? 

“It is. I usually don’t like such things coming out of my mouth. But no, it is definitely sexy. A lot of these songs are, about desire, you know, ‘Mississippi ‘ is… and ‘Wildfire’ is about  being engulfed by that feeling” 

I mentioned that it broaches new sonic territory for Jackson too, and I love how he’s always pushing and challenging himself in his music…..

“So many different genres and styles bleed into the country genre. 
Some are more grassy, more bluesy, more pop, you know? I like all sorts of different kind of music and I don’t believe you are just one thing. You are so many things coming together to make one thing. 
And I love to explore those different territories, not just because you can but because you want to. Again on this record there’s not really two songs that are that similar. They’re all different, and they’re all their own song in their own right. 
You know what I mean? Subject matter might be similar, but all the songs are their own, which has been a theme throughout my entire discography”. 

Jackson had just touched  on my next question which was what music he listened to outside of the country genre….

“It’s a long list including stuff people say ‘I don’t know what that is!’ ” 

I mentioned I was getting a few Barry White vibes….

“Ah my Dad loves Barry White!” 

The album was recorded over three sessions and I wasn’t sure if that was quick or slow as I have no idea what is “usual”……

“This one took a long time. It was different than processes in the past, three separate occasions over seven months. I was travelling and trying to find time to do it,I had obligations. And it’s hard to get that that many A- list musicians in a room, you know? Jerry Roe (drummer) was on the first session, then we got Fred (Eltringham) back. Getting the people you want is hard! The first session was very, very chilled, I don’t think I got up off of the couch. The songs were there, everyone knew what they were doing and we just cut loose. I’m just so happy that it’s finally finished”. 

I’d noticed a fair few female names on the writing credits this time…more than I’d clocked on his previous albums…including Jessie Jo Dillon, Natalie Hemby, Laura Veltz …..did the subject matter of the songs drew Jackson to female co-writers? 

“Veltz and Hemby, I’ve written with over the years. They’re great! I’ve written with Jessie Jo a handful of times prior to us rocking in this past year. I think the perspective of a female in the room is incredibly useful, and depending on what you’re writing that day, can be really impactful. 
But for writing love songs, it’s such a really great perspective … and that’s not sexy, you know what I mean?”


And so for this particular album, it was particularly useful ? 

“100%” 

I was running out of time with so many questions still left….but just wanted to say BST Hyde Park, Jackson! Wow. How long had he known about that and how good is he at keeping secrets? 

“Um, uh, I have to be good at keeping secrets now. There’s so many things going on right now that half the time I don’t know if it’s a secret anymore or not! But we’re very, very excited about Hyde Park. I think it’s going to feel like Austin City Limits and I think that’s gonna take the biggest show I’ve ever played “. 

Three days before my birthday too, such a great line up so fingers crossed for the Great British Weather! But whatever happens we’ll have one big country party. 

Thanks again Jackson, enjoy C2C weekend and see you again soon. 

“Absolutely! Thank you so much” 

Pre-Order/Save ” Magnolia Sage” here https://jacksondean.lnk.to/magnoliasage