Songwriter Adam Klein travels the same dusky roads as Chris Stapleton and American Aquarium with an honest, attention-to-detail lyricism that elevates his music to the next level. Taken from his 2013 LP, Sky Blue DeVille, “In a Southern Way” evokes a breadth of musical influences, from Memphis to Bakersfield and back. The track is a stirring rumination on the tensions between the warmth and comfort of home and the need for personal growth. “Coulda been gone baby I just never did leave,” he confesses over the big band backbeat, before adding a confident, “Maybe I was wrong and underachieved / Stoned in a Southern way.” He keeps a skeptical eye towards tradition, all while acknowledging the strange pull of the South.

“The first few lines came to me as I drove to my friend and drummer Bronson Tew’s house outside of town in Winterville, heading towards the country and Georgia piedmont farmland,” Klein recalls. “I was torn at the time between staying in Athens and focusing entirely on music, which wasn’t feeling so viable, or somehow broadening my horizons, as corny as that sounds. Classic, struggling artist’s dilemma, I suppose: Am I fulfilled? Am I growing as a person or stagnating? In retrospect, I think I hadn’t fully found my own singular voice as a songwriter and I felt there were other aspects of myself and interests that weren’t getting explored. It’s a hard place to leave, though—Athens is a seductive, charming, slower-paced town thick with languor and sweetness, community, and quality of life. And, I’m pleased to say, the journey continues and I’m at least many steps closer to coming into my own as a songwriter.”

The video was shot and edited by Emmy award-winning filmmaker Mo Ali, who hand-selected the track from Klein’s catalog of music. The clip tells a story of how love always seems to call us back to the places we need to be most. It also reminds us that we’re damn lucky when we’re able to share our true selves with anyone else.

Watch/listen above.

More Info
Web: adam-klein.com
Facebook: @adamkleinmusic
Instagram: @adamkleinmusic
Twitter: @cowboy_angel