Harmonies are at the foundation of every great country song, and in his new single “Weary Old Highway,” singer/songwriter Jim Hurst creates some of the best that I’ve heard all year in this genre alongside Darin and Brooke Aldridge. While the chemistry between the Aldridges is already something well-known to fans, what they do with Hurst at the helm of this song is really impressive from top to bottom. Rather than focusing on the tone of the melodies here exclusively, all three of these players are putting a lot of stock in depth, which isn’t something I see many of their underground peers doing in 2022. Lyrics are one thing, but connecting on this sonic level is something entirely different.
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The hard-plucked strings in the background serve as a terrific bridge between the instrumental mood of this track and that of the verses on their own, and overall I get the feeling that continuity is one of the most important elements to this trio as a whole. While there’s something to be said about a rough n’ tumble country anthem, there’s also an exquisiteness to a piece like this that feels complete and well-rounded no matter what angle we’re examining it from. I would love to hear what this sounds like live, as it’s probably an even stronger version of what we’re getting in this studio performance (which is not something that I can say about the majority of country singles landing on my desk this spring).
This lyricism is steeped more in optimism than it is reflection or even an observational take on a situation. Truthfully, I think that the buoyancy of the verses adds a lot more to the energy of the story than even the tempo of the music does, as this would likely feel more like a true ballad were it not given such a lifted lyrical center. Contrast can be an artist’s best friend as much as it can be their worst nightmare in the right circumstances, and this is undeniably an instance where it’s the former over the latter, mostly because these are the kind of players who know what to do with it, where to utilize it, and how to implement it as a focal point of the bigger picture.
I’m very curious to hear what else this collaborative effort could yield in the recording studio in the future, but if this does end up being the last time that Darin and Brooke Aldridge join forces with Jim Hurst, it’s definitely resulted in a single that I won’t soon forget. “Weary Old Highway” spotlights some of the best attributes that Hurst has going for him as a solo artist and creative partner for the Adridges, which is rarely what gets produced in a situation like this one. They could do even better things together if given enough time and the right space to cultivate their ideas, but at any rate, I think this is a single that everyone who loves old-fashioned country harmonies should consider taking a look at.
Chadwick Easton