Arriving in time for her current jaunt to the UK is the latest single from Shantell Ogden, "Breaking Something Wild" and it is a neat bit of songwriting contrasting the terms of a cowboy trying to break in a wild horse in his working life with him trying to capture a similar wild spirit in his private life. All of this is set to a minimalist yet highly effective backing of guitar and fiddle with a little light percussion for good measure.
The scene is set with a glimpse into the working life of the cowby and how he deals with calming a wild horse, but the words, especially the second line are clearly double edged
"He's out in that round pen when the sun comes up
Puts fire in his blood when the colt kicks up"
The second verse sees the arrival of a different sort of mare
"She's free as a bird on a big sky breeze
She turned his head with that heart on her sleeve!
He's got to rope in that smile"
The technique he uses for both ladies and horses is the same , he
"took it slow - with a gentle hand he kept pulling her close""
The seeds of doom for this relationship have been sewn from the very start - he very much wants her
"Never to change" yet as the chorus makes clear she is something of a free spirit.
"That cowgirs tornado's got dust on her halo and the just dare me dreams of a child
That innocent thunder you can't take it from her"
The song therefore closes with the invevitable
"One chilly morning in the high desert dawn
The pen was wide open"
the lyrics open ended to this point deliver the fatal blow
"Her truck was long gone - No man can hold a spirit so strong"
It is essentially a sad simple love story beautifully told in three minutes but the quality of the writing lifts it completely to another level. It clearly will resonate with anyone trapped in a controlling relationship who want to be set free - the "Breaking Something Wild" of the title is as much to do with crushing someones ability to be who they want to be as much as it is about taming a wild horse.
Shantell does an excellent job as the detatched all seeing narrator, able to slighly change the inflection in her delivery depending on which character she is playing and which line is being delivered all adding to make a superb little single
Lyric Video Breaking Something Wild Lyric Video - YouTube
Shantells Remaining UK Dates:
Sept 20 @ 8:00 p.m. - Graham Steel Music Company, Bracknell
Sept 21 @ 8:00 p.m.- Songwriter Sessions by Charman Promotions, Welshpool with Barry Williams and Cathy Beach
Sept 23 @ 7:00 p.m. - Holmfirth Tavern, Holmfirth with Phil Hooley
Sept 24 @ 8:00 p.m - Old School BBQ Bus, Oldham with Banjo Jen