Dusty Black releases his self-titled debut EP today via QHMG and Stone Country Records, a six-track project produced by Mickey Jack Cones that moves between hard-edged rural rock and tender country balladry. Born in Texas and raised in Memphis, Black carries a lineage that runs deep: his grandfather, Floyd Black Junior, played banjo and guitar in Johnny Cash’s band, and it was the passing of his father, Allen Black, that pulled him away from a successful business career and back to music full time. “This EP is the end result of a lot of soul-searching about who I am and who I want to be,” Black says. Listeners are already connecting to the EP’s range and rawness, calling it one of the most grounded country debuts in recent Nashville memory.
The six tracks cover real ground. Focus track “Don’t That Sound Like Her” opens with sweet romance before detonating into a full-throttle chorus about the wreckage one woman left behind, while “Curveball” is a heartfelt tribute to a father who coached his son in life as much as baseball. “Goodbye Drives Me Crazy” speaks to anyone whose work keeps them on the road and away from the people they love, and “Dust Off of Me” captures the cautious optimism of falling for someone new after a long-ago heartbreak. “In That Case” and closer “I Don’t Wanna Be Right” round out the set with a backwoods energy that is equal parts defiant and fun.
Black arrives at this moment with nearly 18 million streams already behind him and a road resume that includes opening sets for Nelly, Gary LeVox, Stoney LaRue, and Lauren Alaina. The ‘Dusty Black’ EP is out now everywhere.
TRACK LISTING: ‘Dusty Black’
- “Don’t That Sound Like Her”
- “Goodbye Drives Me Crazy”
- “Curveball”
- “Dust Off of Me”
- “In That Case”
- “I Don’t Wanna Be Right”