Golden Hour by J Terrell: Review

by admin January 7, 2026

January 7, 2026

“Golden Hour” finds Dallas artist J Terrell circling back to where so many people first fell in love with his voice: covers. After the storytelling swagger of his album Cowboy Tango, this standalone single feels like a reset button, as a gentle breather between big projects and a love letter to the karaoke roots that built his earliest fanbase. He’s been open about how his supporters specifically asked for “a cover or two,” and this one doubles as both a gift to them and a compass for where his sound is drifting next. It’s more intimate, more reflective, and kind of pop-leaning too.

The track eases in on soothing, sparkling guitar strums that shimmer like sunlight on water. There’s a softness to the playing, as it highlights an unhurried warmth that immediately lowers your shoulders. When the drums slide in, they thump in lazily, like a heartbeat at rest, giving the song a mellow sway rather than a big push. It makes you imagine sitting by a lake in the late afternoon, doing absolutely nothing except existing with someone you love.

Over this, J Terrell’s thick, rich voice comes in relaxed and meditative, leaning into the romantic core of the song rather than over-singing it. He sings, “You are my golden hour,” like a phrase he’s been carrying around for years. Behind him, female harmonies float in, airy and ethereal, wrapping his lead in a soft halo and lifting the chorus into something luminous. By the end, “Golden Hour” is a favorite resting place, vocally and emotionally, where he can just exist in the music—and invite you to linger there with him.