Review by Halina Wegner
Kaitlin Butts has never sounded particularly interested in playing by the rules, and “I Wanna Be Bad” proves exactly why. This is country music with its boots kicked off, a few drinks down and absolutely no intention of apologising for having a good time.
The Tulsa-born singer-songwriter brings a wonderfully theatrical energy to the track, creating a celebration of honky-tonk nightlife, colourful characters and the freedom that comes when the sun goes down. There is humour here, but beneath the playful attitude sits a genuine love for the places and people that have shaped Butts’ life on the road.
“I Wanna Be Bad” offers another tantalising glimpse into Hello, Honky Tonk, her fourth studio album arriving October 30 via Republic Records. If this single is any indication, listeners are being invited into a wonderfully chaotic world where barroom stories, larger-than-life personalities and theatrical country collide.
Butts’ imagination is clearly at the centre of the project. Inspired by the vaudeville spirit of Chicago and the wonderfully kitsch nostalgia of Disney’s Country Bear Musical Jamboree, she transforms familiar country territory into something unmistakably her own.
The accompanying video, filmed at Nashville’s Cross-Eyed Critters karaoke bar, perfectly matches that spirit, throwing together line dancing, drag queens, oversized beers and animatronic animals in one gloriously madcap honky-tonk fantasy.
Following the critically acclaimed Roadrunner!, Butts continues to prove that country music can be adventurous, funny and theatrical without losing its heart. “I Wanna Be Bad” is bold, infectious and brilliantly bonkers—and that makes it impossible to resist.
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