Vocal powerhouse and PLATINUM-selling singer/songwriter Jackson Dean delivers an ode to the Magnolia State sweetheart who caught his eye on his new track “Hey Mississippi,” out now via Blue Highway Records. A simple and straightforward profession of the immediate intrigue and infatuation that washed over him upon meeting a Delta darling, the track finds Dean in a lucid, lovestruck haze. Written by Dean alongside producer Luke Dick and award-winning songwriter Jessie Jo Dillon, “Hey Mississippi” is grounded in guitar plucks that trickle behind the verses like steady drops of southern rain, forming a hypnotic lullaby that brings the euphoric memory to life.
“I threw the title out and Luke [Dick] sang the first line, then I sang, ‘Mississippi, hey…’,” shares Dean. “I thought about nursery rhymes like ‘Ten Tiny Turtles’ and ‘Frère Jacques’ that my mom used to sing to us – the repetition and alliteration. I loved the simplicity and wanted to replicate that with this song.”
“Hey Mississippi” is the latest release from Dean’s forthcoming third studio album – an endeavor that found the rising singer/songwriter exploring new territory both sonically and lyrically following his acoustic forward debut album Greenbroke and it’s “near-perfect follow up” (American Songwriter) On The Back Of My Dreams. The track follows previously released songs “Be Your Man,” “dynamite single” (MusicRow) “Make A Liar,” “tender, beautifully rendered” (Entertainment Focus) “Over And Over” and “Wildfire,” which lets “Dean’s slick, commanding vocals take full control” (Country Central). The tracks come together to help form Magnolia Sage, Dean’s new album set for release on April 24. A stellar collection of songs that move from sweeping to soothing, rocking to ruminative, the 11-track project creates a sound that is singularly Jackson Dean: alive, vital, frisky, sexy and rugged.
The story of Magnolia Sage is told through two distinct, rich narrative lenses, with each of the 11 tracks fitting into one of the two worlds: Magnolia or Sage. Magnolia evokes vivid scenes of the Southeast and East Coast, sonically defined by heavy bass that booms and R&B influence that romances, while the stories and sounds of Sage transport listeners to the inherent restlessness and vast landscapes of the West. Whether Magnolia or Sage, east or west, soft or bold, the thread that holds the tapestry of Dean’s vision together is the steady influence of his longtime muse.
