ALL ABOARD JACKSON DEAN’S “TRAIN”
New Song Looks to the Wandering Spirit to Keep from Going Off the Rails
Watch His Performance of “Fearless” on ABC’s CMA Fest HERE
Standout vocalist Jackson Dean continues his streak of gripping yet dreamy songs with his latest offering, “Train,” out today via Big Machine Records. The track (pun intended) adds to the young talent’s catalogue of songs with wide-open, mesmerising sounds that speak to the wanderer in all of us. Complete with subtle sounds of a train chugging down the tracks, moving the song (and protagonist) forward, the lyrics find the narrator travelling great lengths to fill the void. Anchored by a chorus of swirling vocalisations reminiscent of a hypnotic train whistle whipping through the night – it is equal parts longing, soothing and cinematic (without even using any imagery).
LISTEN TO “TRAIN” HERE
WATCH THE “TRAIN” LYRIC VIDEO HERE
“Before I made my way to Nashville, I was posted up in an old cinderblock shack in the back of my grandfather’s land in Maryland and just about midnight every night, I’d hear this freight track passing through. One night when it whistled, I got to wondering—where’d it come from, where’s it going… where’d I come from and where am I going, the two almost became intertwined,” shares Dean. “We wrote the song, inspired by that moment and let imagination run wild from there.”
Written by Dean and his bandmates Brandon Aksteter, Rich Kolm and Sean Mercer as well as his producer, Luke Dick, “Train” was previously released as a live track and has become a staple in the 23-year-old’s impressive live show. This winning team of frequent collaborators also released new song “Big Blue Sky” last month to rave reviews. Country Central calls it a “refreshing” song that “could be his most impressive track to date,” while Entertainment Focus praises it as “a must-listen for fans of authentic, emotionally charged country music” and All Country News declares, “‘Big Blue Sky’ is a remarkable track that encapsulates Jackson Dean’s ability to create music that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.”
Earlier this month, the singer/songwriter stunned crowds at CMA Fest with impressive vocal performances throughout the weekend including making his Nissan Stadium debut in front of 60,000 fans. The performance of his Top 10 hit “Fearless (The Echo)” was featured in Tuesday’s (June 25) primetime special “CMA Fest” on ABC in the US and can be streamed on Hulu now.
Watch his performance HERE.
This summer Dean will take his talents across the country as direct support for the GRAMMY® Award-winning ACM and CMA Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson on her Country Is Cool Again Tour. More information, including tour dates, can be found at https://www.jacksondean.com/.
ABOUT JACKSON DEAN:
Fast-rising singer/songwriter Jackson Dean is quickly earning a reputation for his old school, gritty, lyric-driven, outlaw style of Country following a breakout year that landed him on Pandora’s Ten for 2023 (all genre), Spotify’s Hot Country Artists to Watch 2023, Apple Music’s Country Risers, the CMT Listen Up class of 2023, CRS New Faces 2023, Amazon Music’s 2023 Breakthrough Artists to Watch: Country Class as well as a slew of other artist to watch lists.
Mature beyond his years, Jackson opted to move out to a cinderblock, concrete floor, one-room shack on the back of his grandfather’s property with no heat and no plumbing at just 18 years old. An adventurous and carefree spirit, the 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist, is also an old soul and skilled artisan whose pastimes include making leather goods, wood-burned art and disappearing into the woods to sleep under the stars. Bringing that same sense of adventure and downhome vibe to his songwriting, the “modern-day Country rambler” (Taste of Country) burst on the scene, showing people how real music can be with his atmospheric, musically-forward debut album Greenbroke (out now via Big Machine Records).
The Maryland native’s single, “Don’t Come Lookin’” was the fastest debut to reach No. 1 in 2022 and cemented Jackson as the youngest solo male Country artist to reach the top of the charts with a debut. Landing spots on the Billboard Hot 100, the soundtrack for Netflix’s The Ice Road and a John Dutton scene in Yellowstone. The rugged music video for the track also earned a nomination at the 2023 CMT Music Awards for Breakthrough Male Video of the Year.
His sophomore single, “Fearless (The Echo)” peaked at No. 7 on the Country radio charts and No. 1 on CMT’s Hot 20 Countdown. His Live From The Ryman album featuring fan favourite, previously unreleased track “Heavens to Betsy” is available now.
Following an early career of local performances in his hometown, Jackson has joined bills with superstar acts like Toby Keith, Miranda Lambert, Brantley Gilbert, Kane Brown, Jake Owen, Brooks & Dunn, Lee Brice, HARDY and Brothers Osborne and found himself on the bill for credible events like Austin City Limits and Stagecoach. The young talent recently wrapped big tours with Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, and Jon Pardi and recently wrapped his first headlining tour (Head Full of Noise Tour) and is going on tour with Miranda Lambert and Lainey Wilson this summer.