Caylee Hammack Bares Her Family Dysfunction In ‘Family Tree’ [Listen]
Caylee Hammack proves the age-old adage that every family has its quirks in her debut song "Family Tree."
Her soulful tone shines on the recording. Her range and pitch perfection seem carefree and effortless. Hammack brings her own brand of twang that comes off like an old soul, or at least older than a 25-year-old. The song is a perfect fit for introducing herself as an artist, musician, writer and producer.
Beyond performing the song, Hammack also co-wrote and co-produced the single. The melody changes from a relaxed, breezy tune to a powerful up-tempo jam when the chorus comes in. The different tempos blend surprisingly well, with soul and country influences meshing together. "Family Tree" manages to have an underlying classic country feeling, while still bringing the vibrant pop-country chorus that will be sure to make it get stuck in your head.
Lyrically, Hammack isn't holding back, even airing some of her family's vices and quirks. Her words tell a story to the point where the listener feels like they're observing her family for themselves. The lyrics are clever, but still something you can sing along to without overthinking it. Unlike typical country songs about a family that tend to focus on only the positive attributes, "Family Tree" shows the nitty-gritty and how a typical family supports one another even when it's tough. "Family Tree" also breaks the country staple that centers around getting out of a small town. Instead, Hammack says it's all right whether you want to chase a big city dream and leave your small town, or stay in your hometown for the rest of your life.
With such a strong introductory single, there's no telling what Hammack will bring to the table next.
Did You Know?: "Family Tree" is the most added debut single for a female in over three years.
Caylee Hammack's "Family Tree" Lyrics:
Sister smoked all the Camels in the county last week / She cleaned out the 7-Eleven sneaking in, smelling like nicotine / Mama's burning chicken for the Tupperware party tonight / And daddy's asleep in his chair the TV's blaring the stats for halftime
Chorus:
Woah, oh, oh, oh / Real life can get real funny / Woah, oh, oh, oh / We got more love than we got money / Some swing a little higher / Some'll just hang low / A few of us are on fire to get out / And some just wanna stay home / But it don't matter / 'Cause the roots run deep / Ain't nothing gonna shake our family tree / Whoa, oh, oh, oh / Whoa, oh, oh, oh
Grandma sold her Maytag dryer to post my uncle's bail / He'll be hanging her laundry 'til there's a snowstorm in hell / Me and my cousins like to take a Sunday drive / Roll one up before pot-luck lunch and get high school high
Repeat Chorus
Some of us got problems / But everybody's all right / Some of us got big plans / And some are just planning on gettin' by / Some of us got problems / But they love us anyway / Through the thick and the thin, hell we're still kin at the end of the day.
Repeat Chorus Twice
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