Throwback Thursday: Mickey Guyton, ‘Better Than You Left Me’

Welcome to Throwback Thursday, a weekly series showcasing an album, single, music video or performance of a bygone era and its personal and/or cultural significance.

We don’t deserve Mickey Guyton and probably never will.

I first witnessed her greatness five years ago when she made her Ryman debut. Her voice was (and is) so penetrating. I was transfixed. Her tone is clear, distinct and powerful, and her ability to really dig into lyrics and make careful and compelling choices is breathtaking. That’s not hyperbole talking; this if fact. In a brief clip, in which she, alongside two of Nashville’s rockstar musicians, is seen rehearsing her debut single “Better Than You Left Me,” her talent is enormous. Guyton sweeps over the notes like an eagle, slowly building the slow-burn as the guitar and bass gurgle beneath her pristine delivery.

The waltz-structured ballad broke records upon its first week going for adds, but alas, radio stinks like a bag of dead turtles, and the moving ballad failed to gain enough traction to make a dent. She has since released a sequence of other first-rate cuts, including “Why Baby Why,” “Somebody Else Will” and “Nice Things,” a traditional-carved tune that became one of 2017’s centerpieces. Despite gatekeepers hindering this sterling storyteller from having a breakout moment, she has continued plugging away in the industry and cultivated quite a cult following.

Don’t mind us, we stay perched for a full-length album. Our credit cards stay ready, MG. Radio, time’s a’ticking. *cue eye roll*

Watch below:

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