Brothers Osborne‘s new single ”I’m Not for Everyone” goes hard in making a case for the country music duo’s selective appeal. However, in doing so, it simultaneously manages to capture the group’s broad accessibility.
That’s because the twangy number showcases just what Brothers Osborne do best — that is, taking a personal, reflective moment and painting it in catchy swaths of sound that could get any listener humming. Indeed, “I’m Not for Everyone” might be for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider to country music.
Even the references in the song’s lyrics wink and nod in that direction. In one breath comparing themselves to Townes Van Zandt B-sides and zydeco music, another stanza has lead singer TJ Osborne invoking Jimi Hendrix and gratis jukebox jams. Such sonic touchstones cast a wide net.
After all, everyone’s got skeletons in their closet, and those sometimes include the bones of one’s musical past. But perhaps it’s best not to let them gather dust in the dark — it may be that opening up and airing them out holds the ticket to contentment. To that end, Brothers Osborne’s “I’m Not for Everyone” recalls the healing practice of hitting the local dive, grabbing a drink and cranking the tunes. Any tunes, really, as long as they strike a chord in one’s soul.
Need more? “I’m Not for Everyone” comes from Brothers Osborne’s newest album, Skeletons, their third studio record. The pair dropped the project in October and earned an Album of the Year nod for it at the 2021 ACM Awards.
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