Hear Michaela Anne’s Wistful New ‘One Love Song’
Some people need quiet conversation or a long walk on the beach to sow the seeds of love – and others just need to dance. That phenomenon of the right song setting the heart afire is chronicled by Michaela Anne on her new track “One Love Song,” a softly shuffling ballad written with Maya De Vitry from the Stray Birds. Debuting exclusively on Rolling Stone Country, “One Love Song” is classic country for the modern age, where a little George Jones on the jukebox can drown out even the loudest mobile alerts.
“Honky tonks, country music and dancing have a big presence in my life,” says Anne about her first release since 2016’s Dan Knobler-produced Bright Lights and the Fame, which also included collaborations with Rodney Crowell and Dave Brainard. “We intentionally wanted to try and capture that feeling of falling in love in a bar, over a dance, Urban Cowboy style. It’s inspired by the notion of how quickly things can change in one’s heart and through music. For me, it’s a song of romantic hope, set in a dirty, dim-lit bar with George Jones’ aching voice as the soundtrack.”
Recorded in Los Angeles with much of her touring band, “One Love Song” showcases Anne’s delicate vocal power, which can range from a strong, heartstring-tugging belt to a plainspoken whisper alongside her gift for simple, cutting lyrics. “It only takes one love song,” she sings as the fiddle wails along and the drummer marches in a soft shuffle.
Though the Nashville-based Anne will return to the studio to record a new LP at the beginning of 2018, she is currently focusing on life on the road, having announced a new slew of tour dates supporting Sam Outlaw, including stops in Spain, Sweden and Norway.
“It’s been interesting to me how my songwriting influences have changed since I’ve been touring, more often than not,” says Anne. “It opens up a whole different world of stories whether it’s now from my own personal experiences on the road or from the many different people I get to meet and talk to night to night. Some days I feel like I could tour forever. It is addictive seeing new parts of the world (or returning) and having some of the sometimes oddest, most entertaining, most connective experiences with strangers.”