I love the track. I spent years programming radio and this is just the kind of song we used to look for. Out of left field, format agnostic.

Sure, Little Nas X was a cross- format beast, it seems, not to be repeated, blood tinged Nikes not withstanding.

Most importantly, in my humble opinion, Throw it Back digs a bit deeper into that fascinating new place where rap and hip-hop are meeting with country and going to lunch with pop.

Country is right, rap is left…perhaps a small meeting point? Perhaps a new discussion…you’ve been asking where the next big artist is who will ignite what we had in the 60s.

Might it be an unintended consequence of a label trying to make a buck?

Funny how things go.

Rob Braide

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Thank You, Jeebus.  That song is a motherfucker!!!!  It had me the minute Breland opened his mouth and the layering of Keith is genius.  No artist is more genuinely multi-faceted.  There hasn’t been anything this new in a long time.  Familiar and yet fresh at the same time.

It’s the first song I’ve wanted to play ten times in a row since 1999.  Now I’ll go back and read the rest of your email.

John Brodey

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This is amazing.

You remember when you and Flom came to Boston and I was talking about hick-hop being the next thing. Convergence of hip hop and country making some great unique stuff. The lacs, Blanco Brown, Upchurch, of course Old Town Road, Nelly and Florida GA line, this hasn’t hit critical mass yet but soon. Right now it’s hiding in plain sight and Keith Urban could pop it.

Rednecks love their hip hop and they come in all shapes and sizes these days and I’m digging it!

Dan Millen

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Good ears, Bob– that’s a GREAT record! And this guy Breland has a super-interesting background too, including a business degree from Georgetown: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breland_(musician)

Mark B. Spiegel

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This song is great. Not cookie cutter at all. Real sounding vocals. Quite individual. No cliches. Great feel. And yes, the lyrics are a bit stupid but they’re fun to say because the words work and there isn’t a stupid message in sight. Thanks for turning me on to this.

Stan Harrison

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I lasted 10 seconds.  That was terrible.  The vocal production makes it completely unlistenable for me.

ewchaikin

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This track did just that…made me feel good & want to be out having a great time.

Thnx for the missive. I doubt I would’ve found it on my own.

All my best,

Nancy Sullivan

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Good song, nothing deep but not stupid either.

Kenneth Williams

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Thanks Bob. This record is great.

Joel Sill

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OK, I’ve often listened to your recommended new songs and haven’t often wanted to hear them all the way through once, let alone multiple times.

But this one was the bomb. Loved it!

Funny, I’m a guitar slinger and my ex-wife tried to sell me on Keith Urban a good while ago (post-split). I even used the same Dr. Z amp that Keith used for a while there but never really got caught up in his thing.

FWIW, pretty sure the “banjo” solo was maybe a lap steel or fretless guitar. Sounded like the kind of thing my pal Steve Kimock would play.

Thanks for continuing to throw new music at us. We all need that.

Kingsley Durant

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Thank you! Love it. Playing it over and over. Loud. One of my favorites ever is Run DMC and Aerosmith’s Walk This Way. This has that fun feel.

Maureen Droney

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Country trap.
Whoda thunk Li’l Nas X & Billy Ray started a whole genre.

EC Yahoo

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SMASH

Michael Rosenblatt

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1 listen. Super hooky. Old town road again?

Steve Tipp

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Catchy for sure.  Thanks for the listen.

Richard Stumpf

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Fun song, and a good call, Bob.

George Kahn

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Terrible.  Synthesized vocals sounding like robots.  Computer beats with no soul.  Any real instruments in there?

This is so sad, I feel genuinely sorry for the people who listen to this and think this is what music should sound like. So sad.  The dumbing down of culture…..

Robert Pina

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You’re slipping Bob. That song “Throw it Back” is the same old unoriginal crap that’s been on the radio for the last several years. They just melded Country and Hip Hop together (hasn’t this been done?) It kinda sounded like Kieth Urban was auto tuned, throw in a banjo to make it “Country” (whatever that is these days), throw in some laid back slacker sounding rap along with it and let’s all go to the bank! Boring and unoriginal. With what this country has been through in the last several years I’m still waiting for someone, some talented kid somewhere, to break out with something original.

Troy Clem III

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A hit is a hit, that’s why it’s called a hit

One listen and you know.  And you know when you know, about love and about a hit song

Thanks for brightening my day with this one.

Jill Goldhand

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The autotuned vocals spoil it.

David Bower

Locked down in Melbourne

Australia

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Not gonna hate on this one. i really like the song. Thanks for the tip.

– Greg Dennis

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Bob, sometimes I don’t know what the fuck you hear, but it’s certainly not what I hear.

Kevin Kiley

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I don’t know in what universe this isn’t a hit. Great song. Thanks for sharing.

David Wallace

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Thanks Bob for the track this morning.

What genre was OLD TOWN ROAD?

Massive hit genre that’s what.

Again, we should all just listen to it with fresh ears.

Be a fan not a Judge.

Mark Wright

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Of course it’s a hit – it features Keith Urban!

But I’m still a little uncomfortable imagining you dancing…

Tom Cartwright

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I signed and A&R Breland. Thanks for the kind words. Hopefully the label does make it a hit!

Ian Hunter

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Thanks for the great email on Breland’s new single “Throw it Back” featuring Keith Urban.

I signed Breland to Atlantic at the end of 2019 through Antonio Chavez’s Bad Realm Records label. Ian Hunter who does A&R for us introduced him to me. From the moment I met Breland and heard his music I was 1000% convinced he was a star. I told him I was without question going to make this deal with him in the room on the first day I met him after we spent a few hours together and when I realized that not only does he write incredibly unique, catchy, amazing hook driven records, but that he’s also articulate, sensitive, thoughtful and truly one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. I signed him not only for the incredibly ear bending music he played for me in our first meeting, but also for who he is as a person, and I connected with him on a very intense level which made me believe even more. I was instantly sold.

I agree with you that Throw It Back is a hit. I also know he already has dozens of other songs in the can with just as much flavor and swagger as this track. We have put in over a year and a half of artist development on Breland and we are just getting started. He has been hosting his own radio show on Apple Music: Land of the Bre, was just named YouTube’s Artist On The Rise, and in his short artist career has received critical acclaim and praise for his genre defying style from The NY Times, Forbes, Vice, Rolling Stone, XXL, NPR and numerous others. Nashville is really starting to embrace him as a true songwriter and artist, and it feels like just a matter of time for Breland.

This young man is a real artist, but also an incredible human being and straight up the real deal. Atlantic is committed to a true artist development path with him and as much as I believe that Throw It Back is a smash, we are in it for the long haul with Breland. I’m in no hurry for this to happen today or overnight and if his journey is one that needs more nurturing, support and long term commitment from the label we are here with him and staying the course. We also partnered with Sal Slaiby and Manny Dion from SAL&CO, as well as Bruce Kalmick from Why and How for management, and we couldn’t have a more passionate, diverse and experienced team working together with us on all of this.

In my opinion, Breland is a star and it will happen organically when it’s meant to be. In the meantime we will continue to back his creative vision, support him with the resources of the entire company and let him grow his fans and work toward a long term sustainable career, that I wholeheartedly believe will be his destiny.

Best,

Kevin Weaver