We’re delighted to showcase the video premiere of this gently dry-humoured song, which will take you back to the country stylings of another time. Smartly written and beautifully performed, Mackay’s new single is characteristic of his brand new album, ‘Stupid Cupid’. It’s his third album, but the first to truly reflect his love for classic country. Mackay, from Canada’s smallest province, Prince Edward Island, says of his new music: “I really became smitten with songwriters such as Shel Silverstein, Hank Williams, Bobby Bare, Roger Miller and others. It made me focus my attention on improving my song-writing, and I tried to learn as much about it as I could. I took a lyric writing class, a storytelling class, and a creative writing class. I even took part in a song-writing workshop in Nashville where I got to meet and learn from some of the greatest songwriters in the world.”
Like the other songs in the collection, ‘Romance Novel’ displays excellent songcraft and Mackay draws the listener into the lives of the song’s characters. In this case, the song is written from the point of view of a woman who gets what she needs through the fantasies of romance novels because her man: “…doesn’t like to explore // Ain’t into tryin’ things he ain’t tried before.” Mackay is ably supported by Josh Langille (electric guitar), Sam Langille (bass), Connor Nabuurs (drums), Grant Siemens (guitars) and pedal steel master Burke Carroll. Fans of classic country should take note.
