Just when I thought I couldn’t love something more.
Ever since the Georgia native released her debut album Southern Belle Raisin’ Hell, it has been on repeat for me. Willow Avalon came out of the gates swinging, showing country fans that she’s a force to be reckoned with, showcasing the raw and vulnerable side of her songwriting along with her fiery and witty side throughout the tracklist of this album.
I know this might sound dramatic, but I can say with my whole heart that I bet four songs from this album will appear on my Spotify Wrapped in my top ten most-streamed songs this year. I can’t get enough.
Since releasing the record, one song that I was instantly drawn to and have stayed addicted to is “The Actor.” It’s the perfect tale that most women can relate to. You fall in love with a guy who puts on all the moves and charm in the beginning to get you hooked, and then you quickly find out he’s none of those things you believed in the beginning, and his true colors begin to show. Everything about “The Actor” scratched my brain just right, from the melody to the vocal delivery.
When I thought I could not love this song more, Willow Avalon surprised her fans and re-released it, enlisting Charles Wesley Godwin for a feature. Talk about a good New Music Friday.
The addition of CWG gives the song more depth as he leads “his side of the story” during the second verse. While the song’s original cut makes it seem like the man was the guilty party in the relationship, the version with CWG shines more light on how each partner is guilty of portraying someone they were not.
In CWG’s verse, he shares that the woman he fell in love with could fire off some nasty words, leading to many verbal altercations.
“She was a gorgeous, green-eyed, angel-еyed witch
She’d wake mе up with gentle whispers and lovin’ in bed
But when she finally started dropping the act
We said some words we didn’t mean, my God, it was bad…”
After Avalon and Godwin sing their respective verses, they join forces, creating stunning harmonies during the chorus. Both characters in this tragic love story question how they were played so well, and despite seeing through their partner’s charade, they still can admit they loved the act this person put on.
“‘Cause I was a fool and he was an actor
I never knew it wasn’t my heart he was after
Criminally cool, then sorry actor
I never knew it wasn’t my heart he was after
My love, the actor”
Willow Avalon continues to prove that she will be a household name one day with every release, and Charles Wesley Godwin’s feature on this track takes it to a new level. If you aren’t already tuned into Willow Avalon, now’s the time to listen.
Turn it all the way up.
If you haven’t heard the original cut of the song, fire that up before you go too.
