REVIEW: KC Johns — “Best Seat in the House” (SINGLE)

KC Johns’ new single is Best Seat in the House, an ode to hard knocks, role models, strong women, and never giving up. Johns shows, but doesn’t tell the listener the lyrics. A lot of songs today, in the interest of staying loyal to their roots, adopt an unintentionally pretentious, somewhat semi-preachy mentality.

This can provide a cloying and sanguine mentality, just look at any Top 40s hit these days. Best Seat in the House luckily avoids these pitfalls. It’s able to adhere to the central tenets of country music, being unashamed of its reverence for acts before it, will still carving a path for Johns’ unique, musical voice. Illustrate Magazine describes Best Seat in the House as “a ballad honoring her grandfather, the man who put the first guitar in her hands and shaped her journey from the front porch to the stage.

The opening sets the tone with the slow, steady beats thumping like a heartbeat while soft guitar lines swirl around her husky, tender vocals. KC unspools the story gently, as each word lands with the weight of memory. When she leans into lines about ‘front porch jam sessions’ and those ‘late-night phone calls before gigs,’ the images glow with intimacy and allow us to sit with her in that moment of shared quiet. The melody, though calm, hooks you with its warmth, like rocking on an old chair as the sun dips down.”

Truer words haven’t been said. Johns has spoken openly about the personal nature of her songs. She’s not afraid to bare all, the music doing that rare thing only a bonafide singer-songwriter can. Essentially be a musical confessional, entirely adherent to the singer’s own experience, while speaking objectively to the widest possible audience. Pulled off successfully, what’s so great is everybody wins. And as a thoughtful fan, it can be deeply moving to realize what you’re jamming to likely holds deep meaning for the person making it. That you’re able to have three minutes of intimacy with someone you’ve never met, yet completely understand in that moment.

Johns has reflected this in interviews. She’s often spoken about the necessity of good communication with her musical fanbase, wanting to feel like a friend as much a musical act that touches people. Mike Mineo for Obscure Sound described Best Seat in the House not only as an extension of this sentiment, but easily one of her strongest singles to date. “The loving portrayal of her grandfather having that best seat, and always being a system of support, is wholly impactful — capturing both the artist’s personal guiding light growing up, and also the power of family and support in general as one embarks on their artistic journey,” he said. “A riveting guitar solo traverses into a sating final minute, where KC Johns’ vocals continue to consume: ‘Though his face ain’t in the crowd, I can still feel him here and now, and he has the best seat in the house.’ The songwriting enthralls with its emotion and appreciation, set amidst a stirring rock and country fusing.”

Colin Jordan