Bubba Bellin’s new single, “Driving You to Denver”, is a heart-wrenching ballad that takes as its setting the view through the rearview mirror, in which love persists, but the way forward is to part ways. ‘What Remains’ is the third song from his upcoming album, Western Soul, and showcases Bellin as a storyteller who seamlessly weaves classic country tradition into silky smooth, soulful undertones.
Channeling the ghosts of legends such as Merle Haggard and George Strait while echoing the emotive depth of Al Green and Marvin Gaye, Driving You to Denver is a sonic Midwestern crossroads of country grit and soul-stirring warmth. Bubba’s signature pedal steelwork snakes through the song like a winding highway, notes steeped in yearning and finality. His velvety vocals saunter above the melody, conjuring images of a love that’s receding into the distance but never completely goes away.
“Driving You to Denver” encapsulates the ache of the realization that sometimes love isn’t enough to keep two people in the same place. Instead, it is a memory on a forward arc, like the taillights receding into the darkness. In Bellin, Western Soul finds an emissary subsequently assured that country music is at once retro and progressive, blessèd with a tapestry of the past and the beat of the now.
So roll down the windows, crank up the volume, and let Driving You to Denver guide you through love, loss, and everything in between. He’s spinning stories that stay with you long after the song’s faded.