SINGLE REVIEW: The Shires – ‘Drive’

So aptly titled, ‘Drive’, the newest single release from English Country Duo ‘The Shires’, has me ready to jump in my car and chase the horizon! The track lures you in with gentle calming notes that sounds more like the call of building waves and is followed by the running beat of drums, literally sounding like a car ignition firing up.

Crissie and Ben teamed up on this write during the Country to Country tour in Europe 2015, with Nashville-based singer-songwriter Kip Moore, best known for songs like ‘Somethin’ Bout a Truck’ and ‘Hey Pretty Girl’ and also bassist/songwriter Manny Medina – Moore’s friend and long-time band member. With an up-beat tempo, the sound is very light and easy to listen to. It takes me to a mix of ‘Friday Night’ and ‘Tonight’, with Ben’s smooth and soft opening vocal, Crissie’s subtle country twang and pleasant harmonies throughout.

For me, Moore’s influence is clear to see, with the song running many parallels to his own ‘Motorcycle’, in the ways of literal meaning.

‘I’ve been staring at your number
For so long baby
That your red lipstick on the paper
Yeah it’s kinda faded
I haven’t got a plan
No I can’t think ahead that far
But I gotta call’

The story I see in the lyrics of the record, leads from a male perspective… a couple have met, she’s left him her number and he’s taken his time to build the courage to  call her, but with no idea on where to go with it. He just knows that he wants her to go on ‘the journey’ with him. In the literal sense….Drive.

‘And I just wanna drive
Somewhere in the night
And I don’t wanna waste your time
No, I just wanna drive, drive, drive
And I don’t really know
Where we’re gonna go
No telling what we’re gonna find
No, I just wanna drive, drive, drive
I just wanna drive
I just wanna drive’

The dynamic then shifts to the female part of the story, where she appears to be listening to what I would take as that ‘drunken 2am call’…

‘If you mean what you’re saying
And it ain’t just another line
I can be ready in five.’ 

He’s rambling and not making an awful lot of sense, but she’s prepared to throw caution to the wind and just go with it…

‘Til the sparks from my heart
Are burning bright
Til there’s no stars
There’s just city lights’ 

The songs sees their story progress to the point that they are happy to just keep driving down that road, sparks flying and everything else fading into the background. Come on ladies, we’ve all been there and we know our better judgement is yelling ‘HELL NO!’ … but there’s just something about that boy!

A typical ‘Let’s drive off into the sunset and fall crazy in love’ song, well executed in both lyrics and musicality. It sells the story we all love to invest in.

Kate Hutchinson