For his next single, Trent Tomlinson is going back to his excellent debut album Country Is My Rock to release a new version of "Angels Like Her." Considering the impressive neo-trad-meets-outlaw sound and flawless lyrics of that album, I've been hoping that anyone would go back and pick up at least one song. (I still think "One Wing in the Fire" is one of the best country songs of this decade. Hint, hint.)
"Angels Like Her" tells a very familiar story that was once a staple of country music: the morning after a one-night stand. The song is bursting with clever lyrics such as the opener "The sunbeam hit the Jim Beam / And ricocheted off a bottle of Coke." And let's not forget the hook, "It's angels like her that send guys like me straight to Hell." The re-recording is actually a slight improvement on the original (which is quite a feat!), turning up the amps slightly and adding some piano and steel fills. Even more surprisingly, Trent's voice sounds just a little bit stronger, occasionally bringing in a hint of Merle Haggard. Indeed, the song sounds like something that would've been a big hit back in the heyday of the outlaw country movement.
This song may just be "too country" for most radio programmers, but in the modern country music climate, just knowing that artists are still trying for a more traditional sound is comforting. Maybe if enough singers follow in the same path that Trent seems to be forging, radio will finally "get it." Hey, I can dream.
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