It feels pervy to write 'physical response' one more time, so I'll just say it: Chappell Roan's country song "The Giver" made Chely Wright blush. Phew, now we can get into it.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The Midwest Princess released "The Giver" recently, and it's such a cheeky and playful country bop that it made it to our extremely prestigious weekly ranking. Although she got beat out by Sammy Arriaga and the Kentucky Gentlemen. Sorry.
Chappell Roan calls "The Giver" a lesbian country album, and behind the fun country tune and stellar vocals is a clever allusion to sexual pleasure. I mean, there are hundreds of country songs about the heterosexual fun time, so it's about time we got something a little different, I suppose.
Chely Wright spoke to PEOPLE about her opinion on "The Giver," and she loves it. The singer came out as lesbian in 2010, so has seen country some a long way.
"I think her talent is undeniable. What a great voice, what a great singer-songwriter, and what a great persona," she praised. "I personally love the song. I think it's so clever."
"I think it's super bold. I will admit, I blushed a little bit when I heard it, but I'm 54, right? I'm a Golden Girl now. It's 100% a country record to me. It ticks every box that one would expect it to tick to be a great country song and a great record and a great performance."
Chely Wright Praises Chappell Roan For "Challenging Systemic Norms"
Although country music has become safer for non-heteronormative artists since she came out, Wright supports Chappell Roan for her courage and bravery.
"I just love that she's part of a wave. She's challenging systemic norms and long-standing rules, explicit and implicit. I say, go Chappell Roan, go. You go, Missouri girl, you go."
"I don't want to over-characterize how she feels and shows up in the world because that's not mine to do. But I think she possesses a level of psychological safety that those of us making records in the '90s didn't," she said.
She's proud of Chappell Roan and is glad that she's doing what she's doing. Although Chappell Roan doesn't want to wade into country, more country tunes isn't fully off the table.
