The very first time I listened to Dan + Shay's debut album Where It All Began back in March of 2014, one of the things that stood out to me was the production on each track. Every song had its own unique instrumentation style and overall sound. From starting at track one (the infectious, upbeat "Show You Off") and making my way all the way to track 12 (the slower love song "Close Your Eyes) at the end of the project, I felt like Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney took me on an adventurous ride. I was truly impressed when I found out that Smyers produced their first album alongside Scott Hendricks. The two have been a team since them, producing each of the duo's albums together.
Months after they released their self-titled album, Dan + Shay released vocal-only versions of their hit songs "Tequila" and "Speechless". Hearing these for the first time, I was blown away. I had not heard the duo sing acapella before and the second song listed above, they left me speechless. This took their talent to a whole new level for me and I thought to myself, "Dan + Shay can sing with our without instruments, any genre of music, and their performances will always leave me amazed. Stay tuned for future posts with my commentary on both vocal-only tracks!
On July 31, 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the duo put out a new single called "I Should Probably Go To Bed". To me, it was their craziest vocal performance yet. I could tell that both guys had been in a creative pattern while they were in lockdown like the rest of the world. Smyers produced the song with Mooney in his home studio when it was safe to have a small gathering.
Fast forward to August 7, 2020 when the duo posted a short YouTube video of what it looked like on Smyers' laptop when he produced the vocal portion of the song. Being able to hear Mooney’s lead vocal and Smyers’ harmonies and background vocals gives me chills and goosebumps every time I listen to it. And seeing both of their vocals each light up and go up on the screen every time one member of the duo is singing was pretty cool.
Dan + Shay have truly become my favorite duo and overall artists in country music. I continue to be in awe of Smyers’ inventive, creative, out-of-the box producing skills and his work ethic. He puts every ounce of his energy into making the duo’s music the best it can be and steps up his producing game from one album to the next. While a lot of the time there is a long wait anticipating their new music, it is because Smyers is taking his time, polishing every detail until he knows that it is ready. I really appreciate these things about him. While I do not like waiting, the wait to hear the new music is always worth it in the end!
Below is the vocal only clip of “I Should Probably Go To Bed” courtesy of Dan + Shay’s YouTube channel! Enjoy!
Video courtesy of Dan + Shay's YouTube channel
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