Dwayna Litz turns heartbreak into horsepower with a fierce new single, "Stayin' Gone." a foot-stomping, soul-powered assertion of independence and lands like a long-delayed exhale.
Litz doesn't just sing about walking away. She kicks down the door with fire in her step and clarity in her voice. Co-produced with the great Tim Crouch, who also contributes some blistering fiddle and guitar, "Stayin' Gone" resonates with lyrical bite and muscle.
Steve Brewster lays down rhythm on the drums, James Mitchell's electric guitar riffs gnarl with conviction, and Jeff Taylor on piano adds just enough twang to keep the sound grounded in its country roots. (Duncan Mullins is on bass, and there are multitrack background vocals from Nathan and Suzanne Young.) Produced by Nick Autry and mixed by Billy Decker, Litz's voice shines like a muscle car's paint job confident, clear, and so unconcerned with a bull that it just doesn't give a fuck.
Litz leads us to what's distinctive about "Stayin' Gone: " its attitude. It's a feel-good anthem for anyone who's ever had to stretch out of an unhealthy love and needed a soundtrack for the ride. It's not bitter, just better. Dwayna Litz isn't one to get stuck in the what-ifs. She sheathes her story in grit and a groove, peeling out toward a smarter, freer tomorrow.