Summer Dean: Bad Romantic
Photo by Brooks Burris
Western Swing and Texas Waltzes have inspired Summer Dean her whole life. Growing up on her family’s ranch, those were the style of songs that embodied the soundtrack of her formative years. Summer draws imagery and experiences from the western spirit to formulate her full-length album, Bad Romantic. One must have grit to survive the rancher’s way of life, but there is a vulnerability that is also inescapable when tending to something that can easily succumb to elements out of your control. Those characteristics are the foundation this album was created on.
Personally, I have been anticipating this album for a couple of years once I learned that Summer Dean and Colter Wall had been collaborating. Who better for a generational North Texas rancher to write country songs with, than the “Talkin’ Prairie Boy,” whose body of work encompasses much of the cowboy way of life? For this record, they shared writing duties and a duet for the lead-off single release, “You’re Lucky She’s Lonely.” The song is a tender waltz fueled by the amazing work of Kevin Skrla on pedal steel. I was lucky enough to catch Summer opening for Colter in Baton Rouge about a month prior to the pandemic shut down. They played to a sold-out Mid City Ballroom crowd and it was evident that everyone thoroughly enjoyed Summer’s opening set. She has a captivating stage presence that really engages the audience with her candid banter and charismatic performance. That excitement and Texas charm were turned up even higher when I saw Summer perform to her local crowd when opening for honky tonk juggernauts Mike and the Moonpies at the end of July in Dallas’s Mama Tried.
The latest single release from the album is the feisty, guitar drenched “Picket Fence.” Dean bucks the tradition of the small-town girl settling down to marry and have a house full of babies surrounded by a white picket fence. After all, at the age of 40, Summer Dean quit her steady 10-year teaching career to follow her dream of making and performing country music for a living. Once she experienced critical acclaim and touring success from her debut EP, Unladylike, Dean knew exactly what she was meant to do with her life. Without the prospect of marrying anytime soon, she cashed in the money her momma had been saving for a wedding and recorded Bad Romantic.
“Well, that fairytale dream of a family and a ring / Hell, you’d think that I’d have one by now / But, I’m all alone / Just a woman on her own / Writing songs with no baby and no vow // Well, I don’t want to kiss a frog to meet my prince / Eat a poisoned apple or have seven miniature friends / Well, I just wanna sing along with these old country songs and kick down that picket fence”
Summer Dean proudly adjusts her honky tonk crown and delivers an electrifying rendition of the 1974 Linda Hargrove track “Blue Jean Country Queen,” which was also released as a single this summer. Dean addresses the age-old mother-in-law power struggle with a plea of acceptance that comes from the 1970 cover of “Yes Ma’am, He Found Me in a Honky Tonk” by Leona Williams. Both songs are perfect for a two-stepping dancehall or honky tonk dive bar with their classic country sound and Summer’s modern take on traditional music.
Simon Flory knocked it out of the park with the single cut “Can You Hear Me Knocking.” He set out to write the song for himself but finished it for Summer Dean. Bonnie Montgomery and Whitney Rose add amazing harmonies to the track and the backing band provided an irresistible groove that will have you toe-tapping and head-bobbing right along to the beat. Simon also penned the title track “Bad Romantic.” The tongue-in-cheek song delves into falling in love with the road rather than finding love at the end of a night in the bar. New night, new city, new faces.
“If you’re looking for love, find a new left hand / Cuz I’ll be leaving with these boys in my band / To another town, another show, another like you with a 1995 o’clock shadow / Well, I want something new / Cuz I’m a bad romantic at a quarter after 2.”
One of the most poignant and sentimental songs on the album is “Dear Caroline,” written by Dean and Charles Wolfe. The protagonist is writing letters to her best friend after moving away. Each letter peels back the layers to reveal the worsening conditions during the Dust Bowl Era that comes to a historically disastrous and deadly head on April 14, 1935, known as “Black Sunday.” Considering all of the struggles and raw emotions of last year’s pandemic, I thought it was appropriate to include the song as a reminder that our country has faced and overcome many plights. I perceived this song as not only a reminder of the fragility of overworking the land, but an offer of hope that we can prevail over these difficult times, as well.
Summer personifies the hard-working, self-sufficient woman earning her way as a talented independent country music artist. She is breaking barriers and appealing to the masses. Bad Romantic is the modern take on the classic country sound; the musicianship is superb. Dean not only shows off her songwriting chops on several cuts, but her vocals are strong and well-complimented by Montgomery and Rose. Bad Romantic was recorded and mixed in Fort Worth’s analog studio, Niles City Sound, and it is out everywhere now. Summer Dean has some really great merch, so head to her website to check it out and while you’re there, look for upcoming shows nearby. Put Summer Dean on your must-see list.
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