One of our favourite moments at Buckle & Boots 2023 was finally getting to meet Robyn Red and see her perform on stage. As ebullient a character on stage as she was quiet and considered off stage, she put on a very solid performance and one of the undoubted highlights of that set was "Luke Jackson" which has become her latest single.
It's an uptempo murder tale that opens to the sound of a police siren and Robyn giving voice to her her cover shot with a "Shhhhh" as she then proceeds to tell us how events have come to pass.
"I was sitting alone in a bar in Tennessee
Till you came in and swooped me off my feet
When you took me home - you never thought
One year down the line that you'd get caught"
Now there is no doubt that Mr Jackson is a thoroughly despicable chap however whether he quite deserves a death sentence is surely up for debate however let's not let semantics get in the way of a good song!!
"He had five girls on the side - four little kids to three of his wives
He been round every bar, from near to far
It's safe to say he played a lot of games - Luke Jackson was his name"
It seems Like Jackson has a number of weapons in his philandering arsenal
"He was six foot, blue eyed and handsome"
His one mistake though was to lure in Robyn for when she finds out about the others his fate is somewhat sealed
"I knew I had to tear him apart"
All of this narrative is played out across an old time country combo of guitar and fiddle that continuously build in intensity. to be joined by an insistent drum beat upping the ante further as Luke's name is revealed.
Luke Jackson's wandering ways come to an end at the hands of all those he has wronged, we'll not spoil Robyn's denoument and leave that as a gory surprise for the listener.
Robyn does a great job as narrator, wronged woman and eventual retribution seeker. and the band by the end have hit something of suitable frenetic frenzy to match the events of the song.
if this does not top the itunes country charts #TEAMw21 will eat our stetsons!