Sure, rising country singer-songwriter Lavon Coates can sing a pretty tune and strum along on his guitar. But the primary instrument he plucks upon is the heartstrings.

The man from Loris, SC doesn't fabricate adolescent yearnings or glean off trends. He lives his life chopping trees, raising his daughter, and being kind to strangers—and when he lays down at night, he lies open to the possibility of a song or two wafting in. It's this organic, open approach to songwriting that lends so much life to each tune he pens. Whether he muses on misty-eyed memories or drunken river romps, each note is crafted and infused with a nearly tangible realness.

After releasing a series of singles in the past year, Coates is now looking to start playing live shows and flooding tear ducts as he pieces together more songs to make us laugh, cry, and howl at the moon.

Coates's father, Rev Weldon L Coates, passed in 2015—but that doesn't mean he's not still around to help out his son. The country crooner's new single "Raise Her Right" is a transliteration of the good Reverend Coates's message to his son and granddaughter, relayed in a dream. Over a sentimental arrangement of slide guitars, emphatic percussion, and depthy piano, Coates describes the dream sequence in which he and his dad sit on a heavenly porch discussing life, death, memories, and fatherhood. Get the tissues ready: this one's a tear-jerker.

For an extra dose of sentiment, turn to the music video for "Raise Her Right." After a brief intro in which Coates calls his mom to let her know about his dream, the music picks up, and we're waltzed from scene to scene of the musician's life. We get to see him and his daughter through the eyes of his late father: perched somewhere nearby, lovingly watching over the daddy-daughter duo as they play, dance, and sing together. An extra touch of authenticity shines through in the family photos scattered throughout—you know, just in case you weren't bawling already.

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