Little Rebellion Music

Songwriters: Brad Paisley, Kelley Lovelace, Chris DuBois

Over his career, Brad Paisley has released singles in broadly three categories: novelty songs, love songs, and message songs. His strength has been in making the novelty songs not too gimmicky, the love songs not too sappy, and the message songs not too preachy. New single, ‘Southern Comfort Zone,’ fits the mold and delivers its important message with a high degree of radio-friendliness. In a format overrun with songs confusing jingoistic sloganeering for patriotism, ‘Southern Comfort Zone’ is a true delight.

As a person pushed so far out of what used to be my comfort zone that I no longer have one, the message of this song resonates loudly. Over the last two years, Brad Paisley had the opportunity to take his live show overseas and the travel exposed him to different ways of looking at the world. He stepped out of his familiar surroundings and, as a result, developed a higher understanding of diversity and increased appreciation for his own world – ‘And I miss my Tennessee home/I can see the ways that I’ve grown/I can’t see this world unless I go/Outside my southern comfort zone.’

In my ideal world, everyone would have the opportunity to travel. It makes you more tolerant and gives you a much broader understanding of the way the world really works. You really shouldn’t speak to social issues, even in your own community, if you haven’t been to different countries and been an “other” yourself. The poignant lyrics, written with longtime Paisley collaborators Kelley Lovelace and Chris DuBois, are impressively effective and make this point in a piercing line: ‘I know what it’s like to be the only one like me/To take a good hard look around and be in the minority.’

I am not entirely sold on the production. It’s the most ‘pop’ Paisley has ever sounded – while still making use of classic country instrumentation  – but the more open, international sound fits the song as it carries within it the very same message as the lyrics. The layered vocals open up the choruses but this finely balanced song never sounds too big for its shoes, despite the inclusion of a choir.

Along with ‘Welcome to the Future,’ ‘Southern Comfort Zone’ is among the more profound material played at country radio in the past decade. That Paisley manages to do this with songs so easily accessible is a testament to his ability as a songwriter and his understanding of his audience. And, speaking as a well-traveled “other” myself, for putting this message in a hit song: Thank you, Brad!

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Liv Carter

Liv is a career coach for creatives, and the people who work with them.
She holds several certificates from Berklee College of Music, and a certificate in Positive Psychology from UC Berkeley.
Her main influences are coffee, cats, and Alexander Hamilton.

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