Kassi Ashton Blends Country Songwriting With R&B Sounds in ‘Dates in Pickup Trucks’ [Listen]

Kassi Ashton is willing her crush to pick her up for a date in her debut radio single, "Dates in Pickup Trucks."

Although climbing up in a truck and finding a backroad to drive down isn't a novel concept in country music, Ashton's approach feels fresh. Coincidentally, the song points out the monotony of this small town date.

"'Cause I know you like me / I like you too / We did this last weekend / But baby it's cool yeah / As long as it's with you / I ain't never ever gonna get tired of dates in pickup trucks," she sings.

The song holds its own in the large catalog of country songs about trucks. Ashton maintains an easy, breezy, R&B vibe that pairs perfectly with her rich, soulful voice. Toss those into a shaker glass with just a dash of steel guitar and the song feels as refreshing as the cold beer she's looking for in the opening lines.

Ashton wrote "Dates in Pickup Trucks" and produced the song alongside Luke Laird and David Garcia.

Despite it being her first song to hit country radio, Ashton was named to CMT's Next Women of Country class in 2017. Her country music influences are Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn and Reba McEntire, but she says others outside of the genre — including Adele, Amy Winehouse and Beyonce — also resonate with her.