Track listing: Rockin' in the City

Todd Barrow is from Burleson, Texas, a quiet suburb just south of Fort Worth. I've driven through it countless times over the years on trips between Austin and DFW. Burleson holds some musical notoriety for what happened on a fateful day in 2002 when a 20-year-old aspiring singer named Kelly Clarkson decided to drive to Dallas to audition for American Idol. This review has nothing to do with her, but how often do you get a chance to lift up a small Texas town most folks have never heard of?

If I can put a smile on someone’s face through song, well that just means the world to me.
 - Todd Barrow

So now back to Barrow and his latest single "Rockin' in the City," released on March 23, 2024. He's been busy over the past few years, cranking out a couple dozen singles and two full-length albums since 2019. With "Rockin' in the City" Barrow's turned in a direction a little more rockin' than his primarily Country sound.

The track is a straight-ahead rock anthem, leaning stylistically in the direction of John Mellencamp's 1985 hit "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." There's nothing flashy here--Barrow simply wanted to crank out what he calls "a fist-pumping anthem to blue-collar rockers everywhere." It's All-American, down home, pickup-truck-drivin' rock.

Across Barrow's discography he's got some touching lyrics, some inspiring, and covers a complete gamut of the traditional topics that have kept Country Music thriving since its early roots in Blues. And while musically "Rockin' in the City" is a good ol' time, it's also a bit of a tip of the cap to the folks working hard to keep things moving for all of us. "Tribute" is probably too heavy a term. The folks of Burleson might be more likely to frame it as a friendly "Thanks, y'all!"

Follow Todd Barrow and keep up with what he's got goin' on at toddbarrowmusic.com.