How damn good is this song?
Last week, newcomer Mae Estes released a good old-fashioned honky tonk cheatin’ song called “Thinkin Bout Cheatin.” And sure, cheating songs are a dime a dozen in country music, but this one’s unique in that it features a woman getting brutally honest with her husband about her feelings on marriage and being at the end of her rope in terms of finding a solution – other than cheating – to the issues between her and her guy.
The contrast between the nonchalant way she delivers the message that she’s been “thinkin’ ’bout cheating” and the seriousness of the conversation at hand just makes this one of the more compelling songs that I’ve heard so far this year.
Throw in Mae’s incredible voice, one that reminds me of some of the leading ladies of ’90s country like Lee Ann Womack or Pam Tillis, and of course the whine of a steel guitar throughout the song, and you’ve got one hell of a country song.
Such a great song, in fact, that Mae has released her first ever music video to go with it.
Directed by Emma Golden, the video actually features Mae’s real-life husband playing the role of the man who’s hearing from his wife that she’s been tempted to cheat. As Mae told CMT:
“This was my first video to ever shoot actually, so it was a dream come true! I got to bring my husband on set, too, and he’s actually the actor you see in the video with me. It was difficult to look mad at each other and not laugh during the talking scenes.
It’s pretty funny to me to think about how uncomfortable this song will make some marriages and how my husband just sat at the kitchen table and let me sing it to him! He’s a dream come true, too.”
