Jackson Dean unveils new single and announces album
Jackson Dean has delighted fans today with the release of his latest single, the studio version of his live show favourite, ‘Heavens To Betsy’. Alongside this release, Dean has announced his much-anticipated sophomore album, ‘On The Back of My Dreams’, which is set to hit the shelves on 6th September. The 13-track album promises to be a thought-provoking body of work, leaving listeners with much to ponder.
Already recognised as one of Nashville’s most intriguing artists, Dean’s new project marks a bold new chapter in his career. Embracing his gritty, rambling highwayman spirit, Dean elevates his signature style with turn of phrases, biblical references, soaring guitars, and subliminal messages. The result is a collection of big, wide-open songs that demand bone-shaking vocals.
Each track on the album paints a vivid picture, collectively revealing Dean as a man intent on truly living—and living his dream to the fullest. Across the 46-minute set, listeners will find a man relentlessly pursuing every experience life has to offer, facing each sight and feeling head-on. Collaborating with his bandmates, some of Nashville’s finest musicians, and producer Luke Dick, Dean tackles themes of freedom, solace, pain, youth, mortality, and the subconscious.
Dean explained the album’s title, saying, “The title can be interpreted from a few different angles, but the face value of that phrase is that in-between state, when you’re in the process of waking up, but reality hasn’t quite set in. Each song on this project has a little bit of that magical surreal feeling. It’s drawn from a lyric in the song ‘Jane,’ this kind of otherworldly, misty tune that immediately embedded into my brain. I’ve lived a lot of life and have watched a lot of life be lived, and each of these songs were written from a single frame of life, almost as vignettes, drawn from daydreams, nightmares, and everything in between.”
The single ‘Heavens To Betsy’ stands out as a poignant track, placing Dean in the shoes of a regret-filled man attempting to send a message from beyond to right the wrongs of his past and seek redemption with his daughter. The song has resonated deeply with listeners of all ages, offering a cathartic connection through its characters and soul-stirring plea for atonement.
Dean reflected on the song’s journey, saying, ‘Heavens to Betsy’ is like the little song that could. We wrote it and never thought it’d see the light of day, but I started playing it on radio tours to get it out of my head and kill time. I saw a grown man break down and cry to it. That image will hit you like a ton of bricks. So, we started incorporating a bigger version of it into our live shows, and I thought the Live At The Ryman version would be the only place it lived. But once again, this song exceeded my expectations. Night after night, people tell me how it’s helping them through their grief—which is such a beautiful thing. Just the other day, someone told me that their father died 11 years ago, and hearing ‘Betsy’ gave them the closure they’ve been seeking. That’s the reason we do this.”
From hearing the expression “heavens to Betsy!” for the first time as a 19-year-old and imagining a man sitting on the outskirts of heaven, trying to communicate with his daughter via a CB radio, to becoming his third radio single due to fierce fan reaction, the unexpected journey of “Heavens To Betsy” encapsulates the surreal aura of ‘On The Back Of My Dreams’. The song’s emotional journey, co-written with Benjy Davis and Driver Williams, begins with a sincere but reserved tone backed by light acoustic guitar. By the chorus, as the man’s comfort grows, the words flow more freely, and the song swells with a piercing electric guitar until its final breath.
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