San Francisco Country Risqué opens its forthcoming second album, “As the Crow Flies,” with “Motorcycle Johnny,” a song that takes classic country imagery and pushes it toward a rowdier, more electric frontier.
The first taste of the new album, “Motorcycle Johnny,” introduces the direction of a record that levels up Country Risqué’s traditional 1950s-influenced country style with elements of alt-country, heartland rock, and the rough landscapes of the Pacific Northwest.
The song is based on a story about freedom. “Motorcycle Johnny” is about a debutante trapped in the stifling routines of high society, then discovering freedom at the local honky-tonk. That contrast provides the music with a rebellious emotional core, pitting escape and self-discovery against the expectations of a repressive social milieu. “Motorcycle Johnny” has a strong sense of place. Country Risqué’s new material builds on their country base and extends it toward a sound inspired by harder rock textures and the rugged terrain of the Pacific Northwest. “Motorcycle Johnny” gives a fascinating first taste of what’s to come.
It’s traditional country, but it’s not going to be held hostage by convention. It’s sentimental without being traditional, rebellious without losing its Americana origins, and striking without sacrificing its country essence.
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