Although Randy Ross’s single, “Blown’ Dust,” begins with somewhat rock-ish electric guitar, once fiddle enters the mix, it’s clear this is a country song. It’s a travelling song, too, adding to a long line of troubadour musician-y road tunes.
Ross looks like a young man in pictures, but sings – at least this song – like an older, experienced song man. It’s a lyric about getting away from the past, and out to the West “where the future is not so bleak.” While it’s a modern song, it could just as easily be an old cowboy song. After all, going West was a way to find unexplored territory, back in the old days. It was one of the last unsettled parts of the United States. This was a place where a man, woman or family could make a new start. Yes, it was oftentimes the wild west, as it wasn’t yet as civilized as the East, but at least a troubled person could land there without (hopefully) their dark past following them.
When Ross sings about dust on the highway, it creates the image of a man alone. Nobody is on this road with him, except the blowing dust. At one point, though, Ross mentions that he’s driving in a ‘beat-up’ car, which also holds his guitar. Like cowboys of old and musicians before him, Ross is a traveling performer moving to a place where he can possibly find fame and fortune. He also mentions how he’s 500 miles away from where he came from. He’s getting far, far away.
One gets the immediate impression that this song puts Ross between where he was, and where he wants to be. This dusty old highway is not his final destination. No, the highway is his means to that end. He has a better home in mind, but to get to it, he needs to first travel along a lonely highway to get there. It could be a physical journey, yes, but it could also be more of an emotional one – if you think about it. The steep trail to success can oftentimes be a lonesome one. Many times, even closest family and friends may not understand what a musician needs to do to achieve his/her goals. It’s been said that the one who travels best is the one that travels alone. Similarly, trying to get to a better place with everyone hanging around you giving advice can only make things more difficult. Too much bad advice can feel like dead weight at times.
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Ross’ song is an old timey country song, which he sings with a strong, confident vocal. One is left with the impression Ross knows what he’s singing about. Many country stars these days sound more like classic rock acts. Their songs feature big drums, loud guitars and rock & roll dynamics. Ross is attempting to make it the old school way, singing a country song with plenty of traditional fiddle on it. He’s not trying to be some sort of rhinestone cowboy, like the kind Glen Campbell used to sing about. No, he’s attempting to do it much the same way Hank Williams did. This may be a long, hard, dusty trip, but it’s also the right and true way. Let’s all hope he makes it.
-Dan MacIntosh
