Man, I’m really digging Mae Estes lately.
I still haven’t stopped listening to the newcomer’s last release, a good old-fashioned honky tonk cheatin’ song called “Thinkin’ Bout Cheatin’.”
But she’s already back with another new one, and like the last one, this one’s immediately getting added to my rotation.
“I Quit Smokin'” is an up-tempo heater about seeing through a guy who’s trying to pick her up at a bar, with the sass and wit that you’d expect to hear from somebody like Miranda Lambert.
“I could drive you crazy, baby
You could drive me mad
But you ain’t offered nothin’ that I ain’t already had
As I high as you could take me, it ain’t ever worth the low
I quit smokin’ that stuff you’re rollin’ a long long time ago”
Talking about the new song, Mae says it’s all about knowing your worth:
“One of my favorite things about music is the way it can be interpreted so differently by each listener, so I hope everyone gets whatever they want to get out of ‘I Quit Smokin’.’ To me, it’s a coming of age anthem about not settling for less than you deserve.”
If songs like this and her last single are what we can expect from Mae in the future, I can’t wait to hear what else she’s got in store.
Mae Estes Releases Her First-Ever Music Video For Her Incredible New Single “Thinkin Bout Cheatin”
How damn good is this song?
Recently, newcomer Mae Estes released a good old-fashioned honky tonk cheatin’ song called “Thinkin Bout Cheatin.” And sure, cheating songs are a dime a dozen in country music, but this one’s unique in that it features a woman getting brutally honest with her husband about her feelings on marriage and being at the end of her rope in terms of finding a solution – other than cheating – to the issues between her and her guy.
The contrast between the nonchalant way she delivers the message that she’s been “thinkin’ ’bout cheating” and the seriousness of the conversation at hand just makes this one of the more compelling songs that I’ve heard so far this year.
Throw in Mae’s incredible voice, one that reminds me of some of the leading ladies of ’90s country like Lee Ann Womack or Pam Tillis, and of course the whine of a steel guitar throughout the song, and you’ve got one hell of a country song.
Such a great song, in fact, that Mae has released her first ever music video to go with it.
Directed by Emma Golden, the video actually features Mae’s real-life husband playing the role of the man who’s hearing from his wife that she’s been tempted to cheat. As Mae told CMT:
“This was my first video to ever shoot actually, so it was a dream come true! I got to bring my husband on set, too, and he’s actually the actor you see in the video with me. It was difficult to look mad at each other and not laugh during the talking scenes.
It’s pretty funny to me to think about how uncomfortable this song will make some marriages and how my husband just sat at the kitchen table and let me sing it to him! He’s a dream come true, too.”
