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It’s not likely that a young Waylon Wyatt would have expected to release a collaboration with Wyatt Flores, whom he caught as his first concert at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, OK just several years ago, but that is now his reality. His duet with Flores, called “Didn’t Forget,” is out now. 

With “Didn’t Forget,” Waylon adds to his resume and continues to impress as a viable collaborative act, following notable duets such “Jailbreak” with Bayker Blankenship and the stirring “Smoke & Embers” with Willow Avalon. This time, he successfully goes toe to toe with an artist who helped lay the foundations for his own music career.

The lyrical themes of “Didn’t Forget,” a midtempo traditional country track led by a melancholic acoustic guitar line, center around reluctant acceptance and the maturity to dismiss the demons of the past: “And I forgave, but I didn’t forget/ There ain’t no going back after everything you said.” 

Waylon is no stranger to this kind of storytelling and openness, having previously lamented on personal tragedy. He, as per usual, performs with an uninhibited, burgeoning sense of emotional release, as his stylized vocal squeak accompanies much of his solo stanzas. “According to you, you just needed so much space/ Said you needed time alone, but we both know that that wasn’t the case.”

Opposite him is Wyatt Flores, a reliable country presence who has impressively fine-tuned his vocals in recent years. His vocal aesthetic differs, offering a refined juxtaposition from that of Waylon’s. This is evident throughout his solo verse here, as his tone, though striking and clear, is adequately used as a tool to present the lingering resentment felt on his end: “I hate I remember/ You said I was the best you ever had/ Must have had your fingers crossed right behind your back.

As they sing in tandem for the final chorus, Waylon adjusts his tone ever so slightly to match that of Wyatt’s more pop-oriented, forward leaning vocal style. It is an impressive nod of solidarity, as the pair sing of coming to the same conclusions from different paths.