Jared Daws – Road Dog (2025)
Originally from New Orleans, LA, and currently living on the Gulf Coast in Mississippi, Jared Daws has the regional cred of a country music singer. But this singer-songwriter has a Latino heritage and an urban upbringing that brings a fresh perspective to his love of country music. His first solo album, Snow Below, was released in 2024 with a batch of songs that eschew trucks, rodeos, and dive bars for a gentle, introspective approach that blends traditional and modern musical elements.
Now Daws has released his first single of 2025, called ‘Road Dog’. As soon as the first chord is struck the change in recording aesthetic is evident. Whereas Snow Below is somewhat swampy with a gritty veneer over his voice, ‘Road Dog’ has a clean, full sound that lets his natural timbre shine through. Daws’ voice is a refreshing change to the typical country-western twang. His tight vibrato and well-rounded tone might as easily front an RnB single as this one, but it grabs the ear and sparks curiosity.
As one might expect from the title, ‘Road Dog’ is a song about being on the road. Here too Daws brings a slightly different feel to the old trope. One expects to hear from the weary musician about the contrast of adoration and alienation ala Bob Seger’s ‘Turn the Page’, but Daws opens the song on the verge of another goodbye and brings the listener into an intimate portrait of what it feels like to chase a musical dream. As he puts it: “This life is takin’ me through the mud/ but it’s headin’ where I want so I’m followin’ the blood/ I’m a road dog.”
Meanwhile, Daws’ acoustic guitar drives the song with bass and drums in tow. Electric guitars with that classic dark tremolo sound carry much of the country feel of this number while a more typical country instrument is kept in the background. The steel guitar is there, trust us. You can catch it riding on the upper notes of the organ with just enough volume to sound like it’s bending the organ’s tone. Nice, that.
Jared Daws brings a beautiful, introspective approach to country music that is polished, approachable, and well worth checking out.
In addition to the single, Daws released an official music video for ‘Road Dog’. You can view the video below or on his YouTube channel.
Find out more about Jared Daws on his Spotify.
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