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Video Spotlight: Holdin' Her by Chris Janson

The best songs are always going to be the ones that have personal meaning to the person singing them. The ones that tell you something about the artist. Something real and genuine instead of cheap and manufactured. This is the great appeal of country music. At its best, it's a genre focused on real people singing about the real lives of real people. This is not to say that artists in other genres never sing about real life, but this is where country music shines. No genre tells a story quite like country does. People like it because they can relate. Or, at the very least, they like it because they can feel it. This is the kind of song that you feel.

Chris Janson wrote "Holdin' Her" with the very talented James Otto. It's essentially the story of Chris Janson, told in about four minutes. Starting with his drinking days and how the love of the woman who would become his wife changed his life for the better. In the second verse, he sings about the birth of his daughter and how that changed his life, as well. It's a beautiful and honest song; one about the power of love. Real love, not the cheap kind found in the overabundance of hookup songs that have flooded the airways over the last few years. It's songs that like this that make me love country music. The instrumentation is pure country too, with the lovely steel guitar featured pretty prominently. The musical cherry on top, if you will. I am so happy that this became a single. We need so many more songs like this on the radio.

Check out the video.



Right from the beginning when Chris starts talking, I knew that this video was going to be special. It focuses on Chris and his family and does what every great music video (at least for songs like this) should: shows the story being told. Including shots from their personal home movies was a great touch. Dare I say the perfect touch. Exactly what the song required. I mean, the story is a lovely one, so why not just go with it?

It's so funny watching music videos sometimes. So many times it seems like artists are trying so hard to prove that they have some kind of edge. Or trying to show how hard they can party. Whatever they're trying to prove, it gets lost in the translation. When that happens, music videos become a weird kind of caricaturization of an artist. It gets silly, but not in the good way that I enjoy. Incidentally, this is the problem with a decent amount of country music in general these days. People trying so hard to be something specific instead of just being themselves. Remember: country music is supposed to the music of the people. That's the appeal. Country fans want something real and real is exactly what this video - and song - gives us. This is Chris Janson. These are the people that mean the most to him; the people he loves the most. And this video? This is their story. Summed up in a total of just over five minutes.

I've heard Chris talk about how proud he is of this song and he should be. He's said that he's been playing it live for years and that it always gets a great reaction. I believe it. As I said, these are the kinds of songs that make the genre such a rich one. "Holdin' Her" is a wonderfully crafted song that tells a real story. Yeah...we need more songs like this. They get written, but many won't get cut. Or they're destined to remain album cuts. We need them to become singles and we need them to do well. So, if you like it, buy it. Share the video on your socials. I feel like the tide might be starting to change in country music, but it'll only be successful if these kinds of songs are successful. Kudos to Chris for being willing to be so open and real. More of this, country music. Please.

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