FIRST LISTEN: Mason Lively’s ‘Love Ain’t Done a Damn Thing’

Mason Lively is brokenhearted and, okay, maybe a little bitter in his new song “Love Ain’t Done a Damn Thing.” It’s exclusively premiering on The Boot; press play below to listen.

Co-written with friend and fellow Texan Ben Danaher, “Love Ain’t Done a Damn Thing” relies on Lively’s plaintive voice to drive it. Its melody stays simple — an acoustic guitar, a steel guitar, a basic drum beat and, here and there, harmonica and organ — though serves the song well, as the singer-songwriter attests.

“The few times I’ve played “Love Ain’t Done a Damn Thing” live, I’ve been amazed at how much it grabs people,” Lively tells The Boot. “I love the simplicity of the production, the homage to a stripped folk sound that has always heavily influenced me, and the swaying, back-and-forth melody of the song itself.”

“Love Ain’t Done a Damn Thing” will appear on Lively’s self-titled sophomore album, due out on March 19. Wade Bowen produced the project, which follows the 23-year-old Lively’s 2018 debut record, Stronger Ties.

Lively grew up in a music-loving family, mixing Texas troubadours with new-millennium singer-songwriters. The Inez, Texas, native headed for San Marcos for college, which also gave the budding artist a bigger audience, and has built a group of co-writers in both the Lone Star State and Tennessee.

“I just want to stay close to God and just pray about everything and, when I’m a husband, get better and better: Be a better songwriter, a better performer,” says Lively, who recently got engaged to Kelly Lochte, a personal trainer originally from New Braunfels. “This is the year of taking those blessings that I’ve been given and doing the best I can with them.”