Rating: 9/10

Oklahoma singer/songwriter Kaitlin Butts has been on Country exclusive’s radar since her incredible 2016 Medicine Stone set. She’s been killing it live there each year since, but we haven’t gotten much new music from her since her 2015 debut album, Same Hell, Different Devil. We finally have a new single from her in the form of “White river,” and this is Kaitlin Butts putting all the raw energy she injects into her live performances into a studio recording, creating the best song she’s yet released.

The song itself fits into a category we’ve seen become nearly cliché over the past decade, the subgenre of tracks about women killing abusers. These songs can be great, but they need something to make them stand out as unique, and Butts sets “White river” apart by not being the victim seeking revenge, but rather the loved one, most likely the daughter, of the victim, who finally seeks justice in order to rescue the one she loves from the violence. The hook is also smart, as the murder occurs on the White river; “that was the night the White river turned red.”

Kaitlin Butts does an excellent job here writing a song to fit her incredible range. Her vocal ability is often showcased in her live performances, but until now, no studio recording has really shown off her voice, and that’s a strength she should display more in her songwriting. This song does a nice job of balancing smart writing with chilling vocal delivery, and the production works well also, sparse in the beginning to highlight the vocals but building in intensity throughout the song to support the darkness of the narrative. The instrumentation features a nice mix of steel and electric guitar to complete what is simply a fine piece of music.

Kaitlin Butts is a name you should keep your eye on, and “White river” is the most promising single she has released so far. Hopefully, we’ll be getting some more new music from her very soon.

Written by: Kaitlin Butts, Oran Thornton, Jared Hicks