"The South" is a song recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

band the Cadillac Three. It is their debut release for Big Machine Records.

History

Lead singer

Jaren Johnston Jaren Ray Johnston (born October 4, 1980) is an American country music and rock singer and songwriter. He is a member of the group The Cadillac Three. Career Jaren is a multiple time Grammy nominated songwriter and producer. Johnston was former ...

, who wrote the song, told ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'': "I wanted something for our live set that mirrored '

Kashmir Kashmir () is the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term "Kashmir" denoted only the Kashmir Valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal Range. Today, the term encompas ...

' by

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

– maybe a southern version of that. I got into writing it, and started with the lyrics, I remembered the first time I heard ' Sweet Home Alabama,' and I was just mesmerized with it. I thought 'We need something like that.'" The song features guest vocals from Dierks Bentley, Florida Georgia Line, and Eli Young Band lead singer Mike Eli.

Critical reception

The song has received positive critical reception. Markos Papadatos of ''Digital Journal'' reviewed the song favorably, praising Johnston's lead vocals and the Southern rock influences. Billy Dukes of

Taste of Country Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...

also described the song's Southern rock sound favorably. He also said that the song "has depth" and that "Johnston's voice is suited for grungy honky-tonks". Giving it 3.5 out of 5 stars, Matt Bjorke of Roughstock wrote that " there’s some nice lyrical choices…and an overall understanding of what can make an artist unique".

Music video

Shane Drake Shane C. Drake is an American music video director and producer originally from Redding, California. He has directed videos for many artists, including Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Avril Lavigne, Trivium, Paramore, Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the ...

directed the song's

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

Chart performance

The song has sold 165,000 copies in the U.S. as of May 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:South 2013 songs 2013 debut singles Big Machine Records singles The Cadillac Three songs Dierks Bentley songs Florida Georgia Line songs Vocal collaborations Songs written by Jaren Johnston Song recordings produced by Dann Huff Music videos directed by Shane Drake Songs about the American South