Superstar Tennessee native Justin Timberlake is giving a nod to his roots and is shipping his track “Drink You Away,” to country radio on November 23rd! The tune is featured on the popular artist’s The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 album, which dropped in September 2013. The last single from the record was Top 10 hit “Not a Bad Thing” in 2014. Yes, we’re a bit overdue for another JT experience on the radio waves.
The lyrics certainly have a twinge of standard lost-love country goodness, “I can’t drink you away / I’ve tried Jack, I’ve tried Jim / I’ve tried all of their friends, but / I can’t drink you away / All of these rocks, I can’t swim out of this skin I’m livin’ in.”
David Fanning‘s cover of “Drink You Away” is also quite enjoyable. The funny thing is— Timberlake also loved Fanning’s version and tweeted, “Never thought I would hear a song I wrote on country radio. My GrandDad is smiling from a bar in Heaven!” back in 2014.
Whelp, now Justin Timberlake himself is hitting the country music circuit. It will be interesting to see how the talented musician and actor is received by country fans. He did an excellent job making his introduction to the genre by joining forces with exceptional country crooner Chris Stapleton for a stirring “Tennessee Whiskey” and “Drink You Away” mashup during last week’s CMA Awards ceremony.
The vocal talent’s hometown is Memphis, but he recently purchased 126 acres of land outside of Nashville. Rumor has it that Timberlake has been working to book studio time at historic Studio A. In November of 2013, the singer-songwriter told Sirius XM’s The Highway: “I just did an interview earlier today and I said, ‘I’m America, that’s what I am.’ In all sense of the word. [I] grew up outside of Memphis, Tennessee. Listened to country music, R&B music, classic rock, you know, everything … I still got my eyes set on a Best Country Album. There is time for that.”
As a music fan who loves all forms of music— even bagpipes and accordions— I am jazzed about this prospect. If anyone has a shot at a flawless “genre-hop,” it’s JT. He’s magnetic, entertaining, and genuine enough to be embraced by all walks of life.
