Rebekah Snyder “Small Town” (SINGLE)

Rebekah Snyder’s new single is Small Town, an ode to the classic kind of American country spirit you expect to hear on a road trip across the great frontier. The track has this wonderful, evocative soundscape, along with Snyder’s crooning, decidedly natural vocals gracing the edges with this almost evanescent quality. It takes a small town, she sings melodically. It’s one of the things that makes the song stand out, not just in terms of being good country, but in terms of being something of a throwback.

URL: https://rebekahsnyderofficial.com/

Unapologetically nostalgic and homespun in terms of its convictions and tribulations. Snyder paints a portrait with the combination of eerie electric guitar strums and her own singing voice. Something that’s the musical equivalent of a panorama of country plains, and tight communities. It’s not often a song makes me want to live inside of the world it creates. Like a good story, when this kind of evocation occurs, it’s the sign of a real pro, not just someone who’s a superior craftsman or devoted student of the artform.

Regarding Snyder’s abilities, Anders at Divine Magazine writes, “You feel Snyder’s intimate storytelling and haunting acoustic delivery draw from her life as a single mother, domestic violence survivor, and proud granddaughter of a WWII veteran, giving (her) (work) an authenticity that speaks directly to the heart…From her Appalachian roots to her sky-high perspective as a licensed flight instructor, Snyder’s voice is as grounded as it is soaring, and you can expect more work that honors truth, tradition, and personal resilience. Born and raised in rural Pennsylvania, Rebekah Snyder is an…(artist)…whose music is grounded in truth, tradition, and personal resilience…she writes songs for the overlooked and underestimated…(her work)…connect(ing) you to the voices of her ancestors, especially the veterans and strong women in her family.”

Whereas Snyder’s previous effort, America, was very clear in its convictions – simply put an ode to 9/11, Small Town allows for a more interpretive approach. In some ways, the small town featured in the song can be anywhere. The track has a more universal quality in terms of it being able to speak to a wide variety of listeners, whether or not said listener relates to the country music scene in and of itself. The song makes you think of home. It makes you think of the time gone by, of the people, of places that may or may not still exist but continue to have that resonance.

Like any good story, Snyder is able to make the themes communicated in the track feel personalized. There’s never the sense of her being distant, or hard to connect to emotionally as a performer. Whether it’s the singing, the expert mixing of the elements, or the decidedly acoustic flare to the song, Small Town is infectious. It’s a listen and listen again to kind of song, and one that makes me hungry to see what Snyder does next. All I can think of at this point honestly is that I wish she’d hurry up, and roll out a full-on album already!

Mark Druery