Having burst into our lives at a ridiculously young age, there's no denying that Leah Belle Faser is growing up before our very eyes, something that it is very much apparent on her latest single "If He Was A Truck". It's something of a transition song, seeking to gently push against the expected boundaries of her material with a little double entendre or two, all plausibly deniable and innocent should anyone ask!!
Notably it's a co write - one of the other writers being Simone Simonton (Sugarland “Baby Girl”) along with Derek Toomey. As one of Leah's undoubted strengths has been her observational details and choice of words in her lyrics, often choosing ones rarely to be found in your average Americana song - it was imperative for us to see that none of the very thing that makes her so unique got lost in the process.
"If He Was A Truck" opens up with an introduction that there is someone who has set Leah's heart all of a flutter while at the same time introducing us to the car comparisons that will appear throughout the song.
"There's a boy new to town that I wouldn't mind taking a drive with
Rough around the edges like my Daddy's 97 Stepside"
I'm not entrely sure that the car comparisons initially paint an entirely flattering picture of this new boy in the chorus however it will all resolve itself in the long run.
"If he was a truck, I bet he'd be a little beat up, covered in mud, odometer stuck, radio playin' songs I love"
However things do pick up in the second half with the sort of descriptive observations of the interior that i'll stake came from Leah
"Like a sunburnt leather bench seat, worn at the seams - I'm thinking that he would feel familiar wrapped around me!"
The cheeky chatter carries on later in the song, as Leah hovers over the last word on the next line for some time
"He makes me want to go for a ride!" before adding almost as an afterthought as if she mayhave gone too far
"In his truck"
All things eventually come together
"He's here now picking me up - maybe it's luck from the stars above - his radio is playing the songs I love"
Musically of course it's simply sumptuous, sucking you in from the opening bars right through to the addictive chorus, Leah's vocals and additional backing harmonies carry the tongue in cheek humour perfectly. If this is to be a stepping stone in getting us to adjust to how we see Leah, then it has undoubtedly succeeded and this is another step up on the ladder to greater recognition.