Jordan Davis Embraces His Songwriter Roots on ‘Buy Dirt’ EP, With a Title Track Featuring Luke Bryan
Jordan Davis is gearing up to release his next project, an eight-song EP called Buy Dirt that finds the singer getting back in touch with his songwriter roots. Each of the tracks was co-written by Davis, with the exception of the first track, "Blow Up Your TV."
That song is spin on legendary singer-songwriter John Prine's "Spanish Pipedream," which was originally released on Prine's self-titled 1971 record. "Blow Up Your TV" has since gone on to be one of the most iconic and often-covered selections from Prine's discography. The song also has special significance to Davis, who counts Prine as a major influence on him as a musician and a songwriter.
The process of making the EP marked a return to Davis' roots that he says wouldn't have been possible without the re-shifting of priorities he experienced over the course of the last couple of years, due to pandemic shutdowns as well as becoming a new father.
"I'm in a different spot in my life than I was when I released Home State. We all are!" the singer reflects. "2020 was a tough time for everyone. I was able to use that time to recenter some things in my world, and I didn't want those lessons to go to waste. I wanted to create something special. The best way to that was to write honestly, and we did a lot of that on this record."
One of the formative relationships that Davis has developed over the past few years has been with country superstar Luke Bryan, whom he started spending more and more time with after first meeting Bryan at an awards show. Now, Bryan's a featured vocalist on the title track of the Buy Dirt EP.
"We sat around the fire after a golf tournament one day, smoking cigars and talking about everything but music," Davis remembers of the early days of his friendship with Bryan. "That conversation always stuck with me. Luke isn't just a great entertainer; he's a great Dad, a great husband, and a great friend, too. That's what 'Buy Dirt' embodies. When I wrote 'Buy Dirt,' I knew he could relate to the song's message. I took a chance and asked him to join me on the recording, and he said yes."
Buy Dirt, which also features Davis' current Top 10 single "Almost Maybes" as well as the previously-released "Need to Not," is due for release on May 21.
Jordan Davis' Buy Dirt EP Tracklist:
1. "Blow Up Your TV" (Written by John Prine and Jeffrey Bradford Kent)
2. "Buy Dirt" (feat. Luke Bryan) (Written by Jordan Davis, Jacob Davis, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins)
3. "Need To Not" (Written by Jordan Davis, Jacob Davis, Josh Jenkins, Matt Jenkins)
4. "Drink Had Me" (Written by Jordan Davis, Ashley Gorley, Emily Weisband, Paul DiGiovanni)
5. "Lose You" (Written by Jordan Davis, Paul DiGiovanni, Josh Kerr, Josh Dorr)
6. "Almost Maybes" (Written by Jordan Davis, Jesse Frasure, Hillary Lindsey)
7. "I Still Smoked" (Written by Jordan Davis, Randy Montana, Jonathan Singleton)
8. "Trying" (Written by Jordan Davis, Ashley Gorley, Emily Weisband, Paul DiGiovanni)
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