Jesse Dayton - Country Soul Brother

Last year in a review I drew a comparison between Jesse Dayton and Brad Paisley. Both are handsome young men who kick butt on guitar and have great singing voices, but for some reason, one is mainstream and the other, perhaps the better, is not. I still can't figure it. Jesse Dayton is easily one of the most talented singers in Texas country, laying down hardcore roots music with a sharp, edgy quality that ought to be in the mainstream, ought to be on the radio, and ought to be heard.

I discovered Jesse Dayton with the release of his third album, the amazing "Hey Nashvegas!" It didn't take too long to become a fan. Dayton plays an amazing guitar; writes slick, intelligent songs with a hard-driving country-roots beat; and his voice cuts like a razor while being soft and caressing as velvet, harsh and smooth at the same time, like the Jim Beam whiskey he proudly advertises as being the only whiskey he drinks. Jesse Dayton is a real country singer.

"Country Soul Brother delivers all of what Dayton's known for. With the solid, hard- charging sounds of the opening title track leading into the swinging accordion-laced "All Because of You," it's hard not to be caught up in the infectious beat and crisp lyrical style. The disc moves quickly, mostly original songs except for a couple of covers, including Dayton showing me that Dwight Yoakam isn't the sole king of turning classic rock songs into awesome country tunes, as Dayton does here with the Cars' "Just What I Needed."

I can continue to hope that artists with prowess like Dayton's will somehow worm their way into the mainstream and I'll get to hear them on the radio, but I figure that won't happen until I can afford Satellite radio as long as corporations hold the reins. Jesse Dayton is hands-down, balls-out, just plain incredible. There's other ways of saying it, of course, but might as well stick with the simple. Incredible. Make an effort to find this disc. It's worth it.