Reyna Roberts is a study in contrasts in her assertive new song “Raised Right.” The Alabama native released the country-rock anthem on Friday and it follows her 2020 single “Stompin’ Grounds.”
Built around a handclap rhythm and swampy guitar lick, “Raised Right” has Roberts outlining some fundamentals of her upbringing. “At your worst, be on your best/Do unto others like the good lord says,” she sings, waiting a beat before she adds, “Unless you cross me or my girlfriends.”
Roberts plays up those dual sides of her personality throughout the song, which she wrote with Danny Myrick and Kylie Sackley. She’s “a little bit of whiskey in my sweet tea” and “a little hell yeah in my hallelujah,” she sings, hinting at a wild side she can access when the timing is right. “Raised Right” is also an impressive showcase for Roberts as a vocalist, belting powerfully in the chorus and demonstrating an expansive upper register before the final chorus.
“We all have different sides of ourselves,” Roberts said in a statement. ”I know my inner self is a little more wild, and that’s the Reyna you see onstage. The Reyna my family and friends know is the one that was ‘Raised Right.’”
Roberts recently appeared in CMT Giants: Charley Pride, joining Luke Combs and Robert Randolph to sing the classic “Kiss an Angel Good Morning.”