Review by Matt Wong & Staff
Dustin Chapman's “Slow Dance” leads in with a robust drum fill, and is followed by electric and acoustic guitars, bass, drums, and steel guitar. After an intro filled with energy and attitude, Chapman’s enters with the first verse. "Coffee in the morning in those fresh cotton sheets. I'll make sure it's warm girl, but we don't need no more heat. 'Cause we can make our own steam." Chapman's vocal performance is as fine as it gets in country music with a voice that can toe to toe with today's country stars. From the start, listeners can hear a star is in the making.
The verse is driven by acoustic guitar, and bass, while the piano lingers in the background and light drums keep the nice groove going. A guitar fill inserted halfway through the verse helps the transition between vocal phrases. Moving into the pre-chorus, a slightly heavier drum part helps build momentum towards the chorus, and adds texture.
Upon arriving at the highly memorable chorus, the song immediately blooms and opens up through excellent use of guitars, and background vocals. The song continues developing with dynamics, and busier piano and guitar parts that add new colors to the arrangement, yet respect the melody and vocals. The bridge takes listeners by pleasant surprise with its awesome vocal arranging and stop time groove. A brief instrumental section follows, and the song enters with one final chorus.
The lyrics in “Slow Dance” stresses forgetting about our troubles and focusing on the one we love with something as simple as dancing. The bridge lyric “drown out a world that is nothing but jaded and move from side to side” exemplifies this idea, and the lyric “Time’s on our side so we better not waste it” serves as a call to action to listeners to take advantage of time spent with loved ones.
“Slow Dance” by Dustin Chapman is a country masterpiece of A-level music making. At the core is Chapman’s excellent songwriting, featuring a simple, yet memorable hook and meaningful lyrics. The song is then presented with an effective arrangement, driven by Chapman’s stellar vocals to draw out emotion from the listener. Shout out to Brad Phillips on a fantastic production. Listen to Dustin Chapman and catch Country's music next big star.
For more information on Dustin Chapman, please visit his website,
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About Dustin Chapman
Dustin Chapman is a young singer/songwriter who has climbed hills and entered valleys, as he is in the midst of a budding country music career, but also in the middle of an extreme medical battle with a disease called achalasia; however, Chapman uses his talents to praise God and to uplift others who are fighting their own battles. A mixture of country, gospel, and blues comes together to create his signature soulful southern sound.
In 2017, Chapman released his debut EP which charted #52 on the iTunes Country Charts and afterwards, was nominated for two country music awards, including Gospel Song of the Year for his original song "Set Me Free" at the 2018 Carolina Country Music Awards.
On April 30th 2019, Chapman released a single "Lead the Way," a song that has already impacted hundreds of thousands. Chapman has continued to release music throughout 2020, garnering two songwriting awards for his song "Plus One," winning the Carolina Country Music Festival's Battle of the Bands, and garnering over 15 other award nominations, and ultimately coming closer to his overall goal--to show listeners that his songs, lyrics, and musical ventures are not about him, but about the power of music—the power it has to restore brokenness, encourage hopefulness, and breathe life into the lifeless.
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