Josh Kerr Surprises Fans With Jake Scott Collab “If You Wanted It Too”

Josh Kerr and Jake Scott surprised fans by releasing a brand new song together, “If You Wanted It Too”, available everywhere you buy or stream music now, December 11th. Josh Kerr’s soft-songwriter country is what makes him stand out in the genre, and collaborating with the breezy-songwriter pop Jake Scott is the perfect combination for fans of any genre. Take a look below as we dig a little deeper into the track.

There’s a specific kind of singer/songwriter-pop that was popular in the late 90s and early 2000s that disappeared for about a decade. When Josh Kerr started making music, he filled that hole in the country world, as did Jake Scott in the pop world. The two have written on several tracks together before: among those being Jake Scott’s “Keep In Touch” and Josh Kerr’s “Arizona”. Today, they surprised fans by releasing a remix of Scott’s title-track “If You Wanted It Too”, and unsurprisingly, it’s one of their best yet.

The song opens with a groovy more acoustic-sounding guitar lick and kickdrum, and Kerr fills the verse with his exceptional, smooth voice. “Seven years of us / Never moving forward,” he sings casually. A gorgeous electric guitar comes in, guiding listeners straight to the chorus, where Scott joins in on harmony.

Lyrically, the song is about a relationship that stood at a standstill for a long time. The hook has a slick double meaning: if you wanted it to work out, I loved you enough for us to make it; if you wanted us too like I did, we would have made it. “I hate that I gave you all I had to lose/Could have had everything we wanted, if you wanted it too”. Sonically, it’s a more upbeat, rhythmic song, but similar to a song like Kerr’s “It Wasn’t That Long Ago,” deep down, you can hear the intentional contrast and hurt in the vocal delivery.

Scott takes the second verse, and his rich, soulful tone sounds amazing against the track. Scott calls out his ex’s commitment problems, citing keys to separate apartments instead of one they share as one, along with the ideology of “taking it slow” after nearly a decade of being together as another. Yet, he loved her too much at the time to let her go.

Both Kerr and Scott are masters at creating songs that will get stuck in your head for eternity that at the same time carry so much depth. Because of how catchy it is, you almost forget how truly vulnerable and confessional this song is. “You didn’t love me quite enough to break my heart/And you couldn’t even cry/When you made me say goodbye”, they sing on the bridge. The breakdown of the final chorus is absolutely stunning with the simplicity of Kerr and Scott’s harmony against almost no instrumentation.

This is one of those songs that is impossible not to like. It’s a major collaboration for both of them because it’s introducing pop fans to Kerr and country fans to Scott. As usual, Josh Kerr has raised the bar in every way possible: lyrically, melodically, and sonically. For years, he’s been Nashville’s best-kept secret, but sooner or later, he’s just going to be one of Nashville’s best.

For all your country music, tours, songwriters, news, and releases, fans can subscribe to our Weekly Round-Up newsletter here.

To keep up with Josh Kerr, follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

“If You Wanted It Too” is now available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music here on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

—————

SHOP THE HERO COLLECTION

The Hero Collection by NYCountry Swag is inspired by the men and women of the Fire, Police and Military Departments across the country. A portion of sales from each purchase is donated to different foundations that support our heroes. We are dedicated to honoring their service and remembering their sacrifice.