Nashville based singer-songwriter Russell Dickerson came over to the UK this week to headline the first night of Canary Wharfās Nashville Meets London festival. Dickerson started self-releasing music in 2011 and in 2016 he signed a record deal with Triple Tigers. His single Yours, originally released in 2015, has started to gain traction on the Country charts in the US and itās the title track off his forthcoming debut album due in October.
With limited music available here in the UK, I wasnāt completely sure what to expect from Dickersonās set. I knew that he was good friends with Florida Georgia Lineās Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, and the music I had heard didnāt sound that dissimilar in style to the duo. Dickerson opened his set with Every Little Thing, the opening track from his forthcoming album Yours. The song is a Country pop number and it set the scene nicely for Dickersonās performance.
Across his set Dickerson established himself as very relevant in the world of contemporary country music. His songs are filled with catch hooks, memorable melodies and pop sensibilities. Songs such as Billions and Thatās My Girl got the crowd going despite the heavy rain that plagued the majority of the day. Dickerson worked the stage like a seasoned pro playing guitar on some songs and dancing his socks off. He certainly had plenty of energy and that was infectious for the crowd that had gathered to see him.
A few covers were thrown into the mix during the set. Justin Bieberās Sorry, Ed Sheeranās Thinking Out Loud and Nellyās Ride Wit Me were part of a mash-up and Dickerson put his own twist on the Garth Brooks favourite Friends in Low Places. Those moments served to keep the crowdās energy up and provided some sing-a-long opportunities. Dickerson also mixed a bit of Whitney Houstonās I Wanna Dance With Somebody into his catchy MGNO (My Girlās Night Out).
Dickerson brought his set to a close with his two strongest songs of the night, Blue Tacoma and Yours. Blue Tacoma is a big, sweeping song that could easily be a future single. Itās one of a handful of tracks available on iTunes and streaming services ahead of the album release. The song brings to mind Sam Hunt and itās one that definitely sticks in the mind. Yours is a big song and one that will surely continue to climb and climb. Itās the song of Dickersonās that the crowd knew the best and the romantic ballad will surely soundtrack plenty of weddings.
I enjoyed Dickersonās performance last night. His new material sounds promising and heās certainly got a sound that is perfect for Country radio. He may not be a million miles away from other male Country artists in terms of his sound, but he has his own style and heās an entertaining performer. His headline performance at Nashville Meets London has certainly created a fanbase for him here in the UK and I doubt itāll be long before heās back with his own headline tour.
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Set List: 1. Every Little Thing 2. Billions 3. Green Light 4. Thatās My Girl 5. Would You Love Me 6. Low Key 7. Sorry/Thinking Out Loud/Ride Wit Me 8. Whiskey on My Breath 9. You Look Like a Love Song 10. All Falls Down 11. Friends in Low Places 12. Float 13. Twentysomething 14. MGNO/I Wanna Dance With Somebody 15. Blue Tacoma 16. Yours Performance Date: 22nd July 2017 Pre-order Yours on iTunes