Sara Evans comes out swinging on "Marquee Sign," letting fans and country radio know that she's still in the game and as viable as ever.

"Marquee Sign" is the first single from Evans' upcoming album, Words, which will be her first since splitting with Sony and forming her own independent label, Born to Fly Records. She co-wrote the song with Jimmy Robbins and Heather Morgan, and it finds the 46-year-old artist as unafraid as ever to push her music in different directions and keep pace with the changes in country music.

The bed track for "Marquee Sign" features light, pulsating syncopated percussion under a subtle overlay of acoustic guitars, with clean, reverb-soaked treble lead electric lines helping to create a moody soundscape for the verses. The choruses maintain that feel but add some lift and a well-placed blend of backing vocals that pack exactly the right amount of punch to draw the listener in and make them want to sing along.

Mark Bright's production is sparse and modern, positioning Evans as not an older artist who's back with a new song, but an artist who's still as hungry and competitive at country radio as ever and not afraid to go after it.

Lyrically "Marquee Sign" is a clever twist on the classic subject matter of "if only," with Evans wishing she had gone into a relationship equipped with a warning as to the pitfalls that lay ahead — which must surely be a universal lament. The track is an interesting juxtaposition of new musical ground and timeless subject matter, and Evans' voice is as strong as ever, putting an indelible personal stamp on the track that makes it unmistakably her own.

Did You Know? "Marquee Sign" features backing vocals from Evans' 14-year-old daughter, Olivia.

Listen to Sara Evans, "Marquee Sign"

Sara Evans' "Marquee Sign" Lyrics:

I wish you were a pack of cigarettes / 'Cause you would have come with a warning / Before I let you steal my breath / I woulda known how bad you were for me

Some people lie / Some people trust / Some people hide what they're made of

Chorus:

If you woulda been lit up like a marquee sign / Coulda saved myself some wasted time / From the minute I found you / If it'd been written out in black and white / Maybe then I would have told my mind / Not to get wrapped around you / I should have known it from the start / You were only here to break my heart

If you had just been tequila / I would've known when to stop / Woulda been so easy to leave ya / Never even woulda taken a shot

But people lie / And people trust / And people hide what they're made of

Repeat Chorus

If I could have seen right through ya / Known ya before I knew ya

Repeat Chorus

10 Best Country Songs of 2017 (So Far)

More From Kicks 105