Gretchen Wilson can rock.  Bridgette Tatum rocks. Now that the obvious comparison is out of the way, let’s get to the heart of the matter here; Bridgette Tatum’s debut single “(I Like My) Cowboys Dirty.” There really isn’t anything out on the radio airwaves quite like it and this is a good thing, at least in my book. 

The first thing to mention is the production (by Danny Myrick and Bridgette Tatum) and while this song features a highly-used melodic arc for men, southern country rockers haven’t really been the domain of female artists.  That makes Bridgette Tatum different and gives her a leg-up on the current cavalcade of young female artists trying to win radio over with something similar to Taylor, Kellie and Carrie.

What about the lyrics you ask?  Written by Danny Myrick, Kirsti Manna, Darla Perlozi, the lyrics are as one might expect, they find Bridgette saying that she likes a “hard workin’ ‘chisled hunk of temptation” who “knows how to get it done” and the lyrics of the chorus are catchy, and really drive home the hook “I like my cowboys dirty.”  It’s pretty obvious (to me at least) that this one’s not meant to be taken as anything but a tongue-in-cheek proclamation from what Bridgette Tatum likes in a man. 

Methinks that there are plenty of women out there that will completely relate to “(I Like My) Cowboys Dirty.”  It is one of those roll-down-the-windows-and-scream-at-the-top-of-your-lungs-without-a-care-in-the-world kind of songs for women (just like many rockin’ tunes are for us dudes). 

I’ve heard quite a few ‘girl singers’ who are angling for this type of country-rocker girl and until now I’ve felt like there was something missing or the song was absolutely a waste of time.  With this one song Bridgette Tatum, who co-wrote Jason Aldean’s “She’s Country,” has set herself up as an artist truly worth paying attention to.  Hell, with that husky vibrato-filled voice of hers, she may even become country music’s own Pat Benatar or Joan Jett or Nancy Wilson.  “Cowboys Dirty” should be but the first of quite a few hits for Bridgette.

Listen to "(I Like My) Cowboys Dirty" by clicking here.