Album Review – Chandler Dozier’s “Bakersfield East”

Classic Country (#510.1) and Bakersfield Sound (#510.6) on the Country DDS.

One of the virtues of classic country is that it can allow you to unbusy your mind from all the mundane nags, take a deep breath, unplug, allow yourself to downshift into a lower gear, and get into the groove of a greater era in life and country music. That is the experience of happening upon this debut EP from Chandler Dozier, and being mesmerized by the talent, the sound, and most especially, the prospects of what this all means for country music’s future.

It might feel like these fresh-faced young neotraditionalists are popping up all over the place with promising sounds and curious popularity after decades of such performers toiling in obscurity. But that doesn’t make what the 23-year-old Troy, North Carolina-native Chandler Dozier is doing any less unique, exciting, or entertaining. Many can capture the sound. Few can deliver it so effortlessly like it’s what they were born to do.

Bakersfield East is a great way to describe this album that captures Chandler mixing the Bakersfield Sound with his bluegrass and traditional country roots, and displaying his studious understanding of numerous disciplines of the country genre. Lead single “It’s Not Me It’s You” will give you serious Dwight Yoakam vibes down to the tiny little vocal inflections that you can’t fake. But this is just where this young man’s music mastery begins.

This isn’t as much an EP as it is a sampler, running through multiple country music genres to prove Chandler’s skills and knowledge. “Let Me Be” is basically an up tempo bluegrass number, just with drums. The double fiddle start off of “Dancing With A Memory” let’s you know this will be a traditional country heartbreaker, and a well-written one at that. Same goes for the waltz-timed and personal “When You Land In Charlotte.”

Chandler Dozier produced this EP himself, and also wrote all the songs, with one glaring exception. To conclude the six song set, he does a rockabilly version of the Hank Williams classic “Move It On Over,” marking off yet another country genre he can seamlessly slide into and excel at. The way Chandler fits it all together smoothly is a skill in itself. It’s just as much about era for him as it is genre.

“The Bakersfield sound from the ’60s was my biggest influence. They used to call it ‘Nashville West,’ so since I’m based in Nashville now, I thought it would be clever to call my record the opposite—‘Bakersfield East,'”

 Chandler says. One of the reasons this EP comes with a lived-in and refined feel is Dozier has been doing his time down on Lower Broadway in Nashville cutting his teeth, and perfecting all those country classics before taking a run at recording some of his own.

EPs sometimes can lend to more questions than answers about a young, up-and-coming artist. In Chandler Dozier’s case, this might actually be a good thing. He could commence a career of themed records exploring the various modes of country’s roots: a bluegrass album here, a Bakersfield record there. Or he could continue to sing the virtues of them all with the virtuosity and enthusiasm they need from the next generation to pay them forward.

Either way, whatever Chandler Dozier is up for, we’ll be listening. Country music might’ve just found its next great traditionalist star.

8.2/10

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