Typically, I can enjoy a song when the vocals of a song please my ear. The song may not be the best thing that I’ve ever heard but it doesn’t have to be as I don’t consider songs as some form of high art that should be poignant or relevant all the time. So, when a song like “The Call” comes along I really am genuinely surprised with what I hear. The song, which Matt Kennon wrote with Noah Gordon and Jeremy Campbell is a poignant story that weaves two interesting narratives about how a simple phone call, often with love on the other end, can keep people from doing something that will gravely affect their lives. Now, normally I would instantly be drawn to lyrics and ballads in songs like “The Call,” which is tastefully produced by James Stroud for the BamaJam/Stroudavarious record label but Matt Kennon’s rough vocal simply is what it is, a rough voice that people either love or hate.
I hated it at first and without listening to it but one time I considered the song a throw-away because I didn’t really listen to the lyrics. But, being the generous person that other people tell me that I am, I gave the song another listen and what I found was a really, really good song. And while I’m not 100% sold on Kennon’s long-term potential on country music radio airwaves, the heart of this song, which was inspired by Kennon’s own story as an adoptee, is in the lyrics and that’s where it shines. So while I’d likely love “The Call” if someone like Jake Owen or James Otto or even Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland sang it, I still have grown to like it and with that voice, Matt Kennon certainly has a uniqueness that is hard to get for a newcomer, a recognizable voice.
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