Greg Moses “Good Ol Country Raisin”

The easy strum of a guitar forms a simple beat at the start of Greg Moses’ “Good Ol Country Raisin,” and despite the seemingly basic construction of the song transpiring before our very ears, there’s something very special taking place here that even the most novice of critics will be able to detect. Even in the brief moments that preclude his singing, Moses’ instrumental introduction to this track sets the pace for what will become a truly captivating document.

The music video begins with as little a burst of energy as its source material does, but in either case, our attention isn’t turned towards the lack of supersized bells and whistles; for this performance, everyone within earshot is locked on the moment the man of the hour will begin to croon.

Moses’ soft voice is the reason why my heart melted the first time I listened to this single, but it’s not the lone excuse I would give audiences to give it a dedicated spin before the year concludes. His words here are breathtaking, while the way he strings them together feels more stream of consciousness than it ever does something he rehearsed (in a good way, mind you).

He isn’t trying to sell us a big shot Nashville version of himself in this song, but instead giving us the Greg Moses that exists on the other side of the aforementioned mountain – and, I must admit, it’s this side of his personality that I want to understand and appreciate more.

Instrumentally speaking, “Good Ol Country Raisin” is barebones and seemingly proud of it, scoffing at the very notion of literal decadence with an implied lushness to its guitar part that is almost ghostly to play back a couple of times through.

There’s almost nothing on the backend of this mix to support the strings up top, and still, the guitar element sounds so full-bodied and robust that it could have initiated an evocative backdrop even without being properly equalized and mixed for a pop single. Incredibly, Moses has the voice that he does to match up with this component of the track, and with their combined forces being thrust at us at maximum power, there’s never any doubt as to whether or not we’re getting everything this man can muster here.

I was not listening to Greg Moses beforehand, but the intimate tone he presents the world within “Good Ol Country Raisin” has made me curious to follow his story more astutely in the future. Country is diversifying in ways that a lot of critics just didn’t see coming in the 20s, and though the decade has only just begun, the iconic genre is already producing talent in players like this one well-deserving of some massive hype. It’s hard to predict where Moses is going to fall in the hierarchy of top-shelf talent hitting the scene right now, but if he keeps cutting tracks like “Good Ol Country Raisin,” success is something he can count on for some time to come.

Mindy McCall