when a goodbye kiss feels like this
(or: april 4’s honey from the hive)
posted at 6:36 am by brandon in sweet you rock and sweet you roll
Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson — “Don’t You Wanna Stay”
(from My Kinda Party
I resisted this one for the longest time, because it just screams premeditated event record, and I tend to resent being force-fed the Kool-Aid and told that I have no choice but to love something. But this stunner hums with a riveting undercurrent of raw sexually-charged desperation that can’t be denied: even though he sings one of the precious few songs to name-check my hometown, I never much cared for Aldean until I caught his collaboration with Bryan Adams on an episode of CMT Crossroads last year, and the unique mix of comfortable warmth and icy determination in his voice — think Alan Jackson crossed with Bob Dylan — has become oddly compelling. And the ever-dependable Clarkson — taking her second chart-topping detour into the crunchy lane — matches her partner note for sizzling note, proving that, when pop radio inevitably grows tired of her (and, let’s face it, with GaGa and that abominable Ke$ha currently carrying the torch over there, the clock could well be ticking), she has a second home waiting for her with arms outstretched.
