When I heard ‘Neon Blue’ by Joshua Hedley’ when it was first released, I enjoyed the song. It reminded me of early 90s Garth Brooks. Without early 90s Garth, I don’t think I would have ever listened to the Alt Country & Americana stuff.

I didn’t look much into the album and kind of forgot about the song until recently.

The early 90s sound on the entire record is intentional. Joshua decided to make a ‘concept’ album that pondered the idea of what a new country album might sound like if country music didn’t wander into a full on pop sound in the mid to late 90s.

It intentionally sounds like Garth, Brooks & Dunn, and Alan Jackson and it reminds of sucking down $1 Coors Lights at the line dancing club with my buddies from work. I wasn’t even into country (I was into mostly metal in those days), but cheap drinks and cute country girls* are hard to resist when you’re 21. I know lots of songs from that era without listening to a minute of country radio and I do enjoy most of them. 3/fin

• Years later, I met a cute country girl at a different club. Next week, it will be our 16th anniversary.