Jackson Harden - “Dakota Blue Moon”

Photo by kosmoramaphoto

Out of Charlotte, North Carolina, Jackson Harden delivers some heartfelt Americana upon the release of his latest track, “Dakota Blue Moon.”

When it comes to Americana, we are super picky. The majority of submissions never seem to embody the raw and emotional grittiness that we seek and, oftentimes, they are far too energetic. But with Harden’s “Dakota Blue Moon,” listeners receive the honest and folksy sounds that we’ve come to love about stripped-back arrangements, at times reminiscent of Wilco, one of the genre’s staples.

The dark and dusty guitar that begins this track seems like it would translate very well to the stage, even if utilized as a solo performance. There’s an old-timey vibe that comes across with each pluck of the strings, without sacrificing any nuances to modern production– this is not some country song that has been mislabeled as Americana, which is often the case with this genre. The track crescendos as the arrangement expands into a full-band production, all of which is very sonically satisfying.

But where Harden completely wins us over is with his vocal. He does not rely on any sort of twang to sell us the song and his voice comes across as having had enough experience to only sing the truth. The performance is very raw and intimate, with no evidence of autotune or over-processing. In fact, we’ll go out on a limb and say that if you dig the sounds of Nick Drake and Elliott Smith, you will feel right at home with “Dakota Blue Moon” in your ears.

“Dakota Blue Moon” comes ahead of Harden’s EP of the same name, due out on November 3rd.

-HD