You can almost always count on country songs — the very, very best ones — to remain timeless forever and ever. Meaning, you can take one that is 20 years old, from a band that’s no longer on the radio every day, sing it on The Voice and people will discover it all over again. Or sometimes, for the very first time.
Which is exactly what happened when Jake Hoot sang Lonestar’s 1999 ballad “Amazed” and was crowned the winner of this 17th season of The Voice on Tuesday night (Dec. 17).
But Hoot, 30, didn’t just pluck an old country song from obscurity that one time. In fact, the Cookeville, Tennessee native made a habit of leaning on older country hits since day one. And it worked.
Throughout the season, Hoot performed Trace Adkins’ “Every Light in the House,” Rhett Akins’ “That Ain’t My Truck,” Reba McEntire’s “You Lie,” Willie Nelson’s “Always on My Mind” and Loggins & Messina’s “Danny’s Song.” All great picks from a different era. (He did modern country as well, when he used Luke Combs’ “When It Rains It Pours” for his blind audition.)
But his choice of “Amazed” really struck a chord with the voters and viewers, just like it did when the band released it in the late 1990s and it went on to be their longest-lasting No. 1 single and biggest hit. It was written by Marv Green, Aimee Mayo, and Chris Lindsey. The oft-covered love song even made it into a CMT Crossroads earlier this year. Brett Young and Boyz II Men covered the song flawlessly, as if it was their own.
Meanwhile, Lonestar — currently made up of Richie McDonald, Michael Britt, Keech Rainwater and Dean Sams — continues to make music and play the road. They have four more tour stops before the end of this year.
