Kentucky Musician Releasing New Single ‘Give it to Me’ We Can All Relate To
If you enjoy live music in the tri-state, I would bet money you have seen Josh Merritt perform. He's a staple at Brasher's Lil' Nashville here in Owensboro, and I know some patrons who consider his performances the highlight of their week.
Josh is one of my favorite local musicians. Not only does he play a huge variety of awesome covers in his authentic style, but he also mixes in his original songs. His Americana sound and passionate lyrics are relatable to us all.
Regularly touring the Midwest and beyond, Josh has had to stay close to home for the last year because he has been working on a new project, but he loves to travel the country with his music. "I was in Chicago a couple of weeks ago, and I'm getting ready to head to Wisconsin in the next couple of weeks."
This new project is a concept album that will be available at the beginning of next year. The stories told in the songs "focus on the rise and fall of a relationship. Even the gritty middle and the growth that comes on the other side," Josh explained. "This first single Give it to Me was written after a break-up and came from a place of anger not towards the person but the situation. I was journaling and realized 'Hey, I am writing a song.'"
"At its essence, the song is about passive aggressiveness and how frustrating that can be. The build that comes from someone not expressing themselves to you." With a straightforward title, Give it to Me the listener knows right away, this song is going to tell it like it is. I was immediately drawn in by the genuine country vibes and thoughtful lyrics. When you listen, you can see the story of this relationship unfold and immediately relate to the feelings of frustration that Josh incorporates into the melody with the beautiful grittiness of his voice.
"I didn’t want it to be a personal narrative, but something that others would be able to feel or relate to in the same way. Even down to gender usage because everyone can put themselves in the shoes of someone who has dealt with a situation like this." Josh sings as the narrator of the story.
Give it to Me will be officially released on December 1st, 2023, but you can go ahead and 'pre-save' the song on his website to be one of the first to listen when it drops. Josh also just announced an awesome give-away if you visit his social media here and help spread the word. He'll be randomly choosing someone to give one of his beautiful cover art posters to. I have to give a shout to his amazingly talented brother, Jacob Sommerville who created the design.
I'm also excited to see the music video he and his team have been working on. Josh told me "Just like in the song, I play the narrator and it's a really cool perspective of both sides of the story. Everybody has been through this." Local actors Emma Thompson and Colt Walker are in the video produced by Taylor Graves.
Josh shared how excited he is for everyone to hear this song and he is already planning a big year of performing in 2024. "First of next year, I will be hopping around to different festivals. My goal is to play Bourbon & Beyond or Railbird. I went last year, hung out backstage, and had a blast. It would be amazing to play." And it would be amazing to see that happen!
Once again, here is the link to pre-save Give it to Me. Here is the link to Josh's Facebook page so you can follow his journey and see him perform.
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