Devin Dawson doesn’t look like a typical country singer. With his extensive tattoos, dark, slicked-back hair and penchant for dressing all in black, Dawson looks more like the frontman for an emo band than one of the down-home bros who dominate country radio. Then again, Johnny Cash also dressed all in black, and there’s no one more country than Johnny Cash. And regardless of Dawson’s looks, his music is as country as anything put out by those interchangeable country bros.
But listen to the songs on his recent debut album Dark Horse (including hit single “All on Me”), and you’d never guess that the singer wasn’t wearing a 10-gallon hat, blue jeans and cowboy boots. Dawson co-wrote all 11 songs on Dark Horse, alongside a team of Nashville veterans, bringing his own perspective and personality to music that mixes country twang with modern pop synths and electronic beats. Even with those pop trappings, Dawson’s music remains country to the core, and he’s been rewarded with a nomination for New Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2018 Academy of Country Music Awards. He may not exactly look the part, but Dawson is proving himself to be a true country original.
SLS, 8 p.m. April 13, starting at $17.50 plus fee, 21+. 702.761.7000
