Marty Stuart spins some fantastical stories where fiction and reality blur in the new song “Country Star,” recorded with his band the Fabulous Superlatives. It’s the first new single Stuart has released since putting out the trippy, surf-inspired album Way Out West in 2017.
A jangling country-rock tune with some lively lead guitar licks, “Country Star” hurtles along with considerable momentum and gives Stuart a chance to make some absurd boasts. “I was raised by alligators in the Pearl River swamp/started a-dancin’ on the boogie-woogie stump,” he sings at one point. The chorus winks at how funny it sounds: “Ain’t that strange? It’s a mystery,” he sings.
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There might be some truth hiding in “Country Star” as well. In the final verse, Stuart sings about falling for a woman who was “half wildcat” and who wore a diamond “she stole from Lester Flatt.” It’s unclear if the wildcat is meant to be Stuart’s wife, Country Music Hall of Fame member Connie Smith, but one of Stuart’s first jobs in music was as part of Flatt’s band.
“I’ve always loved songs like ‘Roll in My Sweet Baby’s Arms,’ ‘Long Journey Home,’ and ‘Salty Dog Blues,’” Stuart said in a release. “Those don’t really say much of anything but they feel good and they’re a perfect way to start any show. ‘Country Star’ qualifies as one of those songs.”
There’s no news of a full album to follow Way Out West just yet, but Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives have numerous dates lined up through next year including Stagecoach in April. On Tuesday, Nov. 22, Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives will be inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in Nashville.
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