Song In My Head: Danielle Bradbery’s “The Heart of Dixie”

Danielle Bradbery is capitalizing on her recent win on NBC's The Voice in the best way possible; by releasing her debut single. After quickly signing with Big Machine Records, one of today's powerhouse record companies, Bradbery set to work recording The Heart of Dixie, a song that you might not expect from the 16-year old Cypress, Texas native.

The Heart of Dixie's subject matter is quite mature for Bradbery. She sings of a woman fed up with her dead end job and deadbeat husband so she decides to break out on her own to find a better path. It's true that Bradbery's voice, which exudes a sweet innocence, doesn't quite match the emotion of the words, but I applaud her for daring to do something outside the realm of expectations. She could have done a cute love song or maybe even one about a young girl seeing her dreams come true but instead, Bradbery showcased her vocal talents in a brave way. For me, that makes this song a success.

The message of The Heart of Dixie is one that can be applied to anyone who's ready to make a change. "And she went driving so far away nobody’s gonna find her/ Flyin’ just fast enough to leave it all behind her/ But she didn’t know ’til she hit the road, deep in her soul/ She’s got the fire and the fight of a gypsy/ Ain’t nothing stronger than the heart of Dixie." 

There's no doubt that Danielle Bradbery can sing but the thing I enjoy most about her is that she has the ability to make her voice sound so full and vibrant that sometimes you forget her age. When you combine that with her willingness to take on songs that are a little more mature, you have a combination that could lead to a very successful career for this promising artist.