Country music from a fan's point of view since 2008
Letters From Home was John Michael Montgomery’s [“JMM”] ninth studio album, and his third released on the Warner Brothers label. Released in April 2004, JMM’s career its downhill slide. Although the album charted reasonably well (#3 country /#31 all-genres), sales were tepid and the album received no RIAA certifications. There would be one more studio album (released in 2008) that charted poorly.
In the wake of 9/11 there were many patriotic songs released, a few quite good and many being little more than jingoistic flag wavers. This album features one of the better such songs in the title track, Tony Lane and David Lee’s “Letters From Home”. This song transcends the politics of the moment with a timeless, understated, but emotionally moving portrayal of a soldier at war, whose soul scorching daily grind is eased by news from family and friends back home. The song does not mention any politicians or villains by name, so in a sense it is a universal song that could apply to any soldier at any time in our nation’s history. The song soared to #2 country and would rise to #24 on the pop charts (the best showing ever for a JMM single) and its rise on the charts is commensurate with its quality.
My dearest son, it’s almost June
I hope this letter catches up with you
And finds you well
It’s been dry
But they’re callin’ for rain
And everything’s the same old same
In Johnsonville
Your stubborn old daddy
Ain’t said too much
But I’m sure you know
He sends his loveAnd she goes on
In a letter from homeI hold it up and show my buddies
Like we ain’t scared
And our boots ain’t muddy
And they all laugh
Like there’s something funny
‘Bout the way I talk
When I say, “Mamma sends her best, y’all”
I fold it up and put it in my shirt
Pick up my gun and get back to workAnd it keeps me drivin’ on
Waitin’ on letters from home
Only one more single would be released from the album, “Goes Good with Beer” which peaked at #51. The song undoubtedly would have been a bigger hit had it been released during JMM’s heyday. As it was, it barely received any airplay in my part of the country.
Flat tire on the interstate
Too many nights of workin’ too late
Had a run in with an old memory
No, it ain’t been the best of weeksBut it goes good with beer and the Friday night atmosphere
Of this cross-town bar where the cars all get steered to
And it goes hand in hand with my
Crazy buddies and this three-piece band
And the pretty girls and the games we play and the smoke and mirrors
Yeah, troubles come, but they go good with beer, yeah, they do, yeah
I think that the mid-tempo ballad “That Changes Everything” would have made a good single, but I also think that the label regarded the title track as a fluke hit (or last hurrah), and had lost interest in JMM by this time. Moreover, JMM’s sound and production were getting more country at a time when country radio was viewing acts like Rascal Flatts and Jason Aldean as representing the epitome of country music. Billy Currington also recorded the song as an album track but I like JMM’s version better.
I said, “I know a shrimp boat captain out of Galveston”
I’ve been thinkin’ I’d go down and work for a spell
Oh, you never can tell it just might suit me fine
Spend some time out on the bay
But then there’s always cowboy work in Colorado
And I was thinkin’ that that just might be the thing
Make a little pocket change I figure what the heck
Ain’t nothin’ standin’ in my way
But then she smiled at meLooked a while at me
And that changes everything
That’s a whole “nother deal
That puts a brand new spin
On this ole rollin’ wheel
That’s some powerful stuff
That’s a girl in love
And that’s one thing
That changes everything
This is a pretty decent album, which I would give a B+. The production by Byron Gallimore and JMM features Tom Bukovac on electric guitar, Mark Casstevens on banjo, Stuart Duncan & Larry Frankin on fiddle, mandolin, Paul Franklin on steel guitar, dobro, and Glen Worf on bass among the many fine musicians utilized on the album.
Track Listing
“Good Ground” (Bill Luther, Bob Regan, Naoise Sheridan) – 4:09
“Letters from Home” (Tony Lane, David Lee) – 4:27
“That’s What I’m Talking About” (Paul Nelson, Tom Shapiro) – 3:24
“Look at Me Now” (Mike Geiger, Vicky McGehee, D. Vincent Williams) – 3:22
“Goes Good with Beer” (Casey Beathard, Ed Hill) – 4:26
“Cool” (Harley Allen, Brice Long) – 3:38
“It Rocked” (Marty Dodson, Paul Overstreet) – 3:50
“That Changes Everything” (Lane, Lee) – 3:57
“Break This Chain” (Jim Collins, Billy Yates) – 2:52
“Little Devil” (Blair Daly, Danny Orton) – 3:47
NOTE: Occasional Hope reviewed this upon release. Paul’s view of the album appears below:
I know I’m a little late to the party in discovering this late 2017 release but I rarely listen to over-the-air country stations these days.
Other than my brother Sean, who knows my tastes in folk, jazz & pop standards (but knows little about country or bluegrass music), none of my family or friends give me music as a birthday or Christmas present. So much to my surprise, I received this CD at Christmas from a nephew of mine who claimed this to be “old style” country music. Of course, my nephew is only 18 so his idea of “old style” country might have been Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, and Jason Aldean, whereas my definition differs considerably.
Well, it has been a really busy last few weeks for me so it wasn’t until a few days ago that I got around to popping On The Rocks into my CD player (prompted by the fact that I would see my nephew again in two weeks). Much to my surprise, I found myself listening to a real country record, one actually coming out of Nashville.
No, this is not a country record of the sort that could have been played in the classic country period (1944-1978), but it would definitely have fit into the country playlists of the period 1979 – 2005. Instead of a band whose influences were the likes of Eagles, Marshall Tucker and, James Taylor, I was hearing a band that was influenced by Alabama, Diamond Rio, Bellamy Brothers, Clint Black and perhaps John Anderson or Keith Whitley.
I do not know much about this act and perhaps they would tell you of other influences but I can definitely hear traces of the acts cited above. Moreover, this album has the sound of a country album, with prominent steel guitar, audible lyrics and, strong melodies.
Three singles were released to radio. The first single “Drinkin’ Problem” went to #3 on the US Country Airplay chart and went to #1 on Canadian Country chart. The song is an excellent low-key ballad with a good melody and nice steel guitar.
One more night, one more down
One more, one more round
First one in, last one out
Giving this town lots to talk about
They don’t know what they don’t know
People say I’ve got a drinkin’ problem
That ain’t no reason to stop
People sayin’ that I’ve hit rock bottom
Just ’cause I’m living on the rocks
It’s a broken hearted thinkin’ problem
So pull that bottle off the wall
People say I got a drinkin’ problem
But I got no problem drinkin’ at all
The second single was “Make A Little” which reached #15 and #12 respectively on the charts referenced above. The song is a mid-tempo rocker that would make a good dance floor number:
It’s a hard living, tail kicking
Trip that we’re all on, but I’m betting
We can find a little sunshine in the night
It’s a back breaking, soul taking
Road we walk, so what are we waiting for
Baby let’s turn off the lights
‘Cause girl, there’s just not enough love in the world
So we should make a little
Generate a little
Maybe even make the world a better place a little
We could turtle dove, Dixie land delight
You know it can’t be wrong when it feels so right
It all comes down to you and me, girl
There’s just not enough love in the world
So we should make a little
Then make a little more tonight
The final single was “Burn Out” which reached #11 on The US Country Airplay chart but inexplicably just barely cracked the forty in Canada. This is probably my favorite song on the album
Watchin’ cigarettes burn out
‘Til all the neon gets turned out
There’s nothing left but empty glasses now
It’s all flashes now
Smokin’ memory that ain’t nothin’ but ashes
In the low lights
These done-me-wrong songs hit me so right
I was so on fire for you it hurts how
Fast a cigarette can burn out
I think that the following two songs would have made good singles: “Electric Rodeo:”
It’s a lonely road
Two for the pain and three for the show
You put your life on hold chasin’ layaway dreams
That ain’t all they seem
With a hotel heart just tryin’ to find a spark
Electric rodeo
We’re paintin’ on our suits
We’re pluggin’ in our boots
We’re ridin’ high tonight
On Acapulco gold
And the rhinestones shine
Just as bright as diamonds
Underneath the lights
Electric rodeo
and “Out of Sight:”
Clothes ain’t in the closet, shoes ain’t under the bed
I should’ve believed her when she said what she said
“You’ll never change I know you never will”
I just sat there watching tailights rollin’ over the hill
I called her mama and I called her best friend
They said “She called it quits, so boy don’t call here again”
Up and down these streets lookin’ for her car
Tried to make it back home, but ended up at the bar
She’s gone (she’s gone, so long) never coming back
So gone (so gone, so gone) the train went off the track
And all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put me and my baby back together again
So long (she’s gone, so long) that’s the way it goes
She’s gone (so long, so long) and everybody knows
That I’m going crazy one night at a time
She’s out of sight and I’m out of my mind
The band consists of Jess Carson (acoustic guitar & background vocals), Cameron Duddy – (bass guitar & background vocals) and Mark Wystrach (lead vocals), with all three members being involved in the writing of eleven of the thirteen songs with Carson being involved as a co-writer on all thirteen songs, with an occasional assist from outside sources. The band is supplemented by some of Nashville’s finest studio musicians with Paul Franklin and Dan Dugmore swapping steel guitar duties, often carrying the melody line.
While I do not regard any of the tracks on the album as being timeless classics, I at least liked all of the tracks on the album since I never hit ‘skip’ on any of them. If you wonder whatever happened to that good country music of my early-to-middle adulthood youth (i.e. through the late 1970s and the 1990s), then give this CD a listen. I look forward to their next album.
1958: City Lights — Ray Price (Columbia)
1969: Daddy Sang Bass — Johnny Cash (Columbia)
1979: Tulsa Time — Don Williams (ABC)
1989: Hold Me — K.T. Oslin (RCA)
1999: You’re Easy On The Eyes — Terri Clark (Mercury)
2009: Here — Rascal Flatts (Lyric Street)
2019: Speechless — Dan + Shay (Warner Nashville)
2019 (Airplay): Speechless — Dan + Shay (Warner Nashville)
George Strait was always a bit of an outlier as far as country radio was concerned, a fan of western swing who has allowed to keep some of those influences in his music as long as he came up with a reasonably mainstream sound. Of course radio afforded Strait this courtesy because of his visual aura, excellent voice and scandal-free personal life.
During 2004, another strongly western (or Texas) swing influenced artist received some airplay as a result of a pair of singles released on a major label, Warner Brothers. The single “Always Wanting More (Breathless)” was penned by Lane (with Kent Blazy and Monty Holmes) and received heavy airplay around Central Florida. The song was sold as a CD single with the second song, penned by Lane Turner the disc, “King of Pain” also receiving some airplay. On the physical single were the words “From the forthcoming Warner Brothers album RIGHT ON TIME (2/6-48655) . Unfortunately, the single did not fare as well in other markets and died at #56.
The second single released, “Right On Time” also received some airplay, but I did not see a CD single on sale for the song. I patiently awaited release of the album but by mid-2005 (after some inquiries) I resigned myself to the fact that Warner Brothers had bailed on the album. Since the market seemed to be turning away from traditional country sounds (pseudo boy-band Rascal Flatts seemed to be the hottest thing going), I doubted that Turner would get another crack at a major label.
About five years ago, a friend of mine brought me a promotional CD that he’d copied for me that was never officially released and he had added a few extra tracks he’d found. The CD was the Warner Brothers album RIGHT ON TIME.
I don’t have any writer information for the remaining songs, although I suspect that Lane had a hand in writing most of them
“King of Pain” is a ballad of lost love.
“Halfway to Mexico” is up-tempo modern country with some Mexican rhythms.
“Better to Have Loved” is a ballad of the kind that George Strait routinely turned into hits.
“Let You Go” is an up-tempo song of loss with a banjo serving as the driving force behind the melody.
I have no idea why “Right On Time” was not a hit. The song is a thoughtful slow ballad.
“Happy Hour” is a throwback to early 1970s country, not unlike some of Freddie Hart’s hits but also similar to some of George Strait’s ballads.
“Outside Looking In” is an up-tempo rocker that might have made a good single.
“Thinking Right This Time” is a mid-tempo ballad about a fellow coming to grips with his errors of omission that cost him the loss of the love of his life.
“Horses” is a dialogue between a father to his young son. The father has lost custody of his son to his ex-wife and he is reminding the son to remember the things he has learned such as how to ride horses.
“If It Ain’t One Thing It’s Another” is an up-tempo ballad about life’s little problems.
“Always Wanting You More (Breathless)” was the biggest hit for Lane Turner, an excellent ballad about the mystery generated by his love, a mystery that he cannot fathom but always wants.
Some of this album is available to view on Youtube such as this clip for “The Horses”.
I would regard this album as an A- and deeply regret that Lane Turner never got a real shot at stardom. Perhaps he was too similar to George Strait, or perhaps radio programmers of the time simply had lost interest in real county music. These were good songs that in a different time could have been his.
Lane released an EP in 2009 titled LANE TURNER, currently available as a digital download on Amazon. In 2011 he surfaced as the lead singer of the group Western Underground. This band was formerly Chris LeDoux’s road band. I believe he is still with this group.
1957 (Sales): Fraulein — Bobby Helms (Decca)
1957 (Disc Jockeys): Fraulein — Bobby Helms (Decca)
1967: Turn The World Around — Eddy Arnold (RCA)
1977: Daytime Friends — Kenny Rogers (United Artists)
1987: You Again — The Forester Sisters (Warner Bros.)
1997: How Your Love Makes Me Feel — Diamond Rio (Arista)
2007: Take Me There — Rascal Flatts (Lyric Street)
2017: Body Like a Back Road — Sam Hunt (MCA)
2017 (Airplay): Small Town Boy — Dustin Lynch (Broken Bow)
1957 (Sales): : Fraulein — Bobby Helms (Decca)
1957 (Disc Jockeys): My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You — Ray Price (Columbia)
1967: Laura What’s He Got That I Ain’t Got — Leon Ashley (Ashley)
1977: I’ve Already Loved You In My Mind — Conway Twitty (MCA)
1987: Three Time Loser — Dan Seals (EMI America)
1997: How Your Love Makes Me Feel — Diamond Rio (Arista)
2007: Take Me There — Rascal Flatts (Lyric Street)
2017: Body Like a Back Road — Sam Hunt (MCA)
2017 (Airplay): Small Town Boy — Dustin Lynch (Broken Bow)
1957 (Sales): : Fraulein — Bobby Helms (Decca)
1957 (Disc Jockeys): Fraulein — Bobby Helms (Decca)
1967: Laura What’s He Got That I Ain’t Got — Leon Ashley (Ashley)
1977: Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue — Crystal Gayle (United Artists)
1987: This Crazy Love — The Oak Ridge Boys (MCA)
1997: There Goes — Alan Jackson (Arista)
2007: Take Me There — Rascal Flatts (Lyric Street)
2017: Body Like a Back Road — Sam Hunt (MCA)
2017 (Airplay): Small Town Boy — Dustin Lynch (Broken Bow)
1957 (Sales): (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear/Loving You — Elvis Presley (RCA)
1957 (Disc Jockeys): Bye Bye Love — The Everly Brothers (Cadence)
1967: I’ll Never Find Another You — Sonny James (Capitol)
1977: It Was Almost Like a Song — Ronnie Milsap (RCA)
1987: Snap Your Fingers — Ronnie Milsap (RCA)
1997: Carrying Your Love With Me — George Strait (MCA)
2007: Never Wanted Nothing More — Kenny Chesney (BNA)
2017: Body Like a Back Road — Sam Hunt (MCA)
2017 (Airplay): Yours If You Want It — Rascal Flatts (Big Machine)
1957 (Sales): Gone — Ferlin Husky (Capitol)
1957 (Jukebox): All Shook Up — Elvis Presley (RCA)
1957 (Disc Jockeys): Gone — Ferlin Husky (Capitol)
1967: Sam’s Place — Buck Owens (Capitol)
1977: Play Guitar Play — Conway Twitty (MCA)
1987: The Moon Is Still Over Her Shoulder — Michael Johnson (RCA)
1997: One Night at a Time — George Strait (MCA)
2007: Stand — Rascal Flatts (Lyric Street)
2017: Body Like a Back Road — Sam Hunt (MCA)
2017 (Airplay): Body Like a Back Road — Sam Hunt (MCA)
1956 (Sales):Singing the Blues — Marty Robbins (Columbia)
1956 (Jukebox): Singing the Blues — Marty Robbins (Columbia)
1956 (Disc Jockeys): Singing the Blues — Marty Robbins (Columbia)
1966: Somebody Like Me — Eddy Arnold (RCA)
1976: Thinkin’ of a Rendezvous — Johnny Duncan (Columbia)
1986: Hell and High Water — T. Graham Brown (Capitol)
1996: Little Bitty — Alan Jackson (Arista)
2006: My Wish — Rascal Flatts (Lyric Street)
2016: Blue Ain’t Your Color — Keith Urban (Capitol)
2016 (Airplay): May We All — Florida Georgia Line featuring Tim McGraw (Republic Nashville)
The sands of time ran out quickly for Little Texas as their eponymous fourth album, their last for Warner Brothers, barely charted reaching #47. By this time lead singer Brady Seals had departed the band leaving Tim Rushlow in charge of lead vocals.
Little Texas hit the marketplace thirty-one months after their third album, a delay that probably didn’t help their chances in the ever changing market. The three singles released from the album all tanked at radio with none reaching the top forty. Despite this, I regard this as possibly their best album, with tighter vocal harmonies and a nice array of songs.
The album opens with “Loud and Proud”, written in part by band member Porter Howell. This is one of the weaker songs on the album, sounding more rock than country, but it is not bad:
Show me a mountain
Tell me it can’t be climbed
I’ll find my way through any shadow of doubt
And I’ll meet you on the other sideI love a good challenge
Send them all my way
I’ll rise to any occasion
I am not afraidTo be loud and proud
And givin’ in to nothin’
Livin’ and a lovin’
I’ll never get enough
And all the ups and downs
I take ’em as they come
And I’ll be right here standing my ground
Loud and proud
“Bad for Us” from the pens of Porter Howell, Dwayne O’Brien and Tom Shapiro) was the first and most successful single, reaching #45. The song is a nice ballad about a relationship that seems to be on the rocks. Several radio stations featured this song as their pick of the week, but the song never did generate any momentum, not surprisingly since more than a year had passed since the band’s last single.
You really got a good one in
You hit me where it hurts
Just so you wouldn’t get the best of me
I fired back somethin’ worseI put you down
You show me up
Good for you
Good for me
Bad for usWe keep goin’ around and ’round
When’s it gonna stop
Real love’s not a matter of
Who comes out on top
“Ain’t No Time to Be Afraid” by Porter Howell and Allen Shamblin is another nice ballad, this one rather philosophical in nature. I would have picked this song for single release:
I was scared half to death
I couldn’t catch my breath
‘Cause that old tree down by the river
Was thirty feet highThat’s when I heard my daddy’s voice
He said, Son you’ve got a choice
You can climb down now
Or you can flyThis ain’t no time to be afraid
Or look the other way
If your prayers have all been prayed
Then you just let it come what mayIf you’re not brave enough to try
Then life will pass you by
All we have is today
There ain’t no time to be afraid
“Long Way Down” sounds more like up-tempo 60s pop than anything else. Nashville songsmith Bob DiPiero co-wrote this with Porter Howell and O’Brien.
The second single off the album was “Your Mama Won’t Let Me”, which died at #64 on the charts. It is pretty generic, pleasant but not all that memorable. Del Gray, Thom McHugh and Keith Follesé composed this song
Like to take you to the movies on a Saturday night
But your mama won’t let me
Steal you away for a Sunday drive
But your mama won’t let meShe’s one step ahead of me every time
When I get too close she draws that line
Thinks I’m trouble but I’m not that kind
Your mama won’t let me make you mine
“All In The Line of Love” from Porter Howell, Dwayne O’Brien and Stephen Allen Davis is yet another pleasant but fairly generic ballad
I think the label missed a bet in not releasing the Bob DiPiero-Walt Aldridge song “Living in a Bullseye” as a single. I don’t think it would have been a huge hit but I suspect it would have at least cracked the top thirty. The song is a mid-tempo ballad with clever lyrics that would resonate with any blue collar worker:
I heard the whistle blowing as I pulled in the gate
I knew without looking, I was already late
Praying the boss wouldn’t catch me again
Sweating bullets while I was sneaking inI’m living in a bullseye, ground zero
It’s kinda scary when the arrows fly
I ain’t trying to be no superhero
I duck and cover just to stay alive
Living in a bullseyeEight hours later, at a half past five
I’m listening to my radio and pulling in the drive
The music telling me a thing that’s good
So I’m crossing all my fingers and I’m knocking on wood
“The Call” by Walt Aldridge and Tim Rushlow was the final single released from the album, peaking at #71. It’s a nice ballad with sleek vocal harmonies. I heard it quit a bit here in Central Florida, but it apparently tanked elsewhere:
You can run but you can’t hide
You can keep it all inside
Take it from a fool who’s tried it all
Pay attention to a friend
Who swore he’d never fall again
You’re gonna answer
When you get the call
“Yesterday’s Gone Forever” (Dwayne O’Brien, Jim Rushing) has the feel and sound of eighties country minus the annoying synthesizers. When released it really had no singles potential, but I can recall times when this introspective ballad would have done very well with radio:
For all of my good intentions
Heartfelt every one
I’ve left so much love unspoken
So much of life I’ve left undoneI could’ve made a difference
I just never made the time
Now yesterday’s gone forever
And today ain’t far behindShould’ve taken that job in Dallas
Or the one in San Antone
Should’ve left that girl in the city
And married the one back homeI’d love to run back through the years
To tell her I was blind
But yesterday’s gone forever
And today ain’t far behind
The album closes with the Porter Howell – Chuck Jones rocker “If I Don’t Get Enough of You”.
If I don’t get enough of you
I can’t think, I can’t sleep
If I don’t get enough of you
I can’t eat, I get weakWithout you there to hold me tight
Well, I can’t make it through the night
I don’t know what I’m gonna do
If I don’t get enough of youIf I don’t get enough of you
I don’t act like I should
If I don’t get enough of you
It’s a fact, I’m no good
I think this is a better album than their first three efforts – good production, decent songs (none of the Texas chauvinism that marred earlier albums) and a really tight band augmented by Jeff Huskins on fiddle and piano, and Dan Dugmore & Sonny Garrish on pedal steel guitar, plus really good harmony vocals.
Why then did this album tank ?
I think the answer is three-fold:
1) There apparently some element of dissension in the band. Both Brady Seals and Tim Rushlow thought that they could become big solo stars, something that neither achieved.
2) A long lapse between the release of the third and fourth albums – to put it bluntly, radio forgot about them.
3) Changes in the country music market place which ultimately led to the domination of faux country acts like Rascal Flatts and Jason Aldean.
I would give this album an A-
Little Texas’ most successful album was their sophomore disc , Big Time, released in 1993. It produced four hit singles, three of which reached the Top 10, including their only #1 “My Love”. The album was produced by Doug Grau, Christy DiNapoli, and James Stroud.
Based on the feedback we received, some of our readers have been less than enthusiastic about our choice to spotlight Little Texas. I’m by no means a Little Texas super fan; I remember most of their radio hits from the 90s but prior to this review I’d never listened to one of their albums all the way through. So I come to this with a fresh set of ears. Was Little Texas really the Rascal Flatts of their day? After listening to Big Time a few times, I can only answer with a resounding no. I expected to enjoy the singles that I remembered from the radio but I wasn’t sure what to expect from the album cuts. I must say that I’m pleasantly surprised. The band members had a hand in writing eight of the album’s ten tracks. Admittedly, they aren’t all particularly memorable, but there is certainly nothing cringe-worthy in a Rascal Flatts sort of way.
The album’s best track by far is the lead single “What Might Have Been”, which rose to #2 on the country chart and enjoyed some success in the adult contemporary format as well, reaching #16 on that chart. It was followed by the uptempo Texas pride anthem “God Blessed Texas”, which topped out at #4 and is probably their best remembered hit today. It’s a good song but one I’ve grown slightly tired of over the years, perhaps due to overplaying by radio. As such, it’s my least favorite of the album’s singles. The mid-tempo “My Love” seemed like a no-brainer to replicate the AC success of “What Might Have Been”, but oddly it did not appear on the adult contemporary charts. It is not as good a song as “What Might Have Been”, but that, along with its lack of crossover success did not prevent it from becoming a #1 country hit. “Stop on a Dime” had originally been the B-side of “What Might Have Been”. When released as a single in its own right, it fell short of the Top 10, landing at #14. As the album’s final single, Warner Bros. had perhaps lost interest in promoting it. It’s a lot countrier than much of what was played on the radio in the mid-90s; it reminds me of something that Diamond Rio might have done.
“My Town” is the only tracks that doesn’t include one of the band members in its songwriting credits. Written by Michael Stanley, isn’t particularly country but it is catchy and allows the band to showcase its harmonizing capabilities. “Cutoff Jeans”, written by Troy Seals, Brady Seals and Ronnie Samoset is more traditional but equally infectious.
Little Texas is one of those bands that I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to when they first arrived on the scene. They debuted at a time when there was plenty of strong competition within the genre, and that may have contributed to them falling through the cracks to a certain extent. If they were just getting started today, they’d be head in shoulders above most of their contemporaries on country radio, at least in my book. Big Time isn’t likely to be included on anyone’s list of best country albums, but it exceeded my expectations and is worth giving a spin.
Grade: B+
When Faith Hill emerged after an eight-year hiatus to celebrate her twentieth wedding anniversary, announce a Soul2Soul revival tour and mentor contestants on The Voice, I figured she was banking on nostalgia to propel this new era of her career. Hill has smartly been riding on Tim McGraw’s coattails since 2006, knowing she can’t fill arenas, or Vegas casinos, to (near) capacity without him.
She also couldn’t launch a comeback with Illusion, a record Warner Bros. likely shelved after two embarrassing singles – “Come Home” and “American Heart” bombed at country radio when she desperately needed a hit to regain momentum within the industry. That was never going to happen anyways, as age and changing trends saw Carrie Underwood filling the space she once occupied.
With those statistics in mind, I was surprised when she quietly announced a new album to end the record contract she signed in 1993. But I was disheartened to learn it would exist as Deep Tracks, a project comprised of previously released album cuts the label probably wisely never saw fit to release as singles. The project is nothing more than a cash grab and an insult to Hill’s tenure with the label. I’m glad to see Hill on board, though, which is more than I can say for the umpteenth Greatest Hits projects Curb released to extend McGraw’s contract. If the marketing is to be believed, it seems she actually selected these songs herself.
Tagged onto the end of the album are three previously unreleased songs, of which I was anxious to hear. I’ve been a big fan of Hill’s since I began listening to country music in the mid-90s and always welcome anything new she chooses to give her fans. And with the infrequency of her releases, I haven’t cast Hill aside as I’ve done to Martina McBride.
The new material begins with the recently recorded “Boy,” written by Lee Brice, Rob Hatch and Lance Miller. The track is classic Hill, a love song, she freely admits reminds her of her man. While it doesn’t break any new ground, the plucky ballad deviates from her typical sonic playbook just enough to keep the feel of the song fresh.
Rob Mathes and Allen Shamblin’s “Why” follows. Hill recorded the track in 2004 for Fireflies and when it failed to make the cut, Dann Huff brought the song to Rascal Flatts, who brought it to #18 in 2009. The song explores a woman’s anguish in the wake of an unimaginable tragedy:
Oh why, that’s what I keep askin’
Was there anything I could have said or done
Oh I, had no clue you were masking a troubled soul, God only knows
What went wrong, and why you’d leave the stage in the middle of a song
Oh why there’s no comprehending
And who am I to try to judge or explain
Oh, but I do have one burning question
Who told you life wasn’t worth the fight
They were wrong
They lied
And now you’re gone
And we cried
‘Cause It’s not like you, to walk away in the middle of a song
The execution is extremely heavy-handed with Huff’s production and Hill’s vocal leaning far too piano-ballad pop for my tastes. The lyric itself is somewhat powerful, but it lacks the subtlety that made “Can’t Be Really Gone” and “On A Bus To St. Cloud” so magical.
In context, the final cut is arguably the saddest. Hill’s mother had long wished her daughter would record a gospel album, the only type of music she wanted to hear her sing. Such a project never came to fruition, so “Come to Jesus” is the closest Hill’s come to carrying out her mother’s wishes. Hill’s mom passed away just three weeks ago, right before the CMA Awards, but was able to hear this song in time.
Hill could obviously still make a gospel album, which could be a treat, if it sounds nothing like she does on this Mindy Smith tune. I appreciate and wholeheartedly welcome the use of fiddle throughout, but there’s just nothing delicate or interesting to hold my attention. This is not the soaring moment (think “There Will Come A Day”) I was hoping for.
With this new material Hill deserves full credit for covering her bases. “Boy” fits perfectly within her penchant for love songs while “Why” displays her knack for age-appropriate material tackling emotional subjects. “Come to Jesus” is the type of song she was teasing when gearing up for the ill-fated Illusion that supposedly nixed her country sound for ‘southern soul.’
While I didn’t find much here to be excited about (“Boy” is the best of the new stuff and worth checking out), I don’t want to suggest the ‘deep tracks’ themselves are of poor quality. If you’ve never heard her take on Lori McKenna’s stunning “If You Ask,” do yourself a favor and check it out.
I’m just upset that after twenty-three years of enormous success, Hill and her fans aren’t being treated to a more heartfelt sendoff than Deep Tracks. Everyone involved deserves so much more than this.
Grades:
Deep Tracks: D
‘Boy:’ B+
‘Why:’ C
‘Come To Jesus:’ C
Since splitting with Kix Brooks in 2010, the solo career of Ronnie Dunn has included some shining moments (including “Cost of Livin,” one of the finest singles this decade) interspersed with bizarre rants, record label changes and a handful of forgettable singles. His last, “Ain’t No Trucks In Texas,” was so unmemorable and performed so poorly Scott Borchetta and his team have abandoned it all together.
Big Machine Label Group hit the reset button last Friday, with the release of “Damn Drunk,” which is being touted as the first single from Dunn’s upcoming and long overdue debut for Nash Icon. The mid-tempo ballad produced by Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts, airs on the side of bombast with loud electric guitars impending on a listening experience more pop/rock than country.
The track is also billed as ‘with Kix Brooks,’ a moniker I’d never thought I’d see in my lifetime. His contributions, solely on the choruses, are slight and add nothing to the song. Folks drawn to ‘Damn Drunk’ in hopes of a reunion of sorts are going to be disappointed. “Damn Drunk” is squarely on Dunn’s shoulders as a solo single.
Beyond those shortcomings, though, the track has merit. “Damn Drunk” was co-written by Liz Hengber, and while it’s not her strongest composition, it is a real song with actual structure. This song isn’t mailed in with hopes of checking off the lyrical boxes needed to produce a radio hit. It may be about a guy lusting after his girl, but there’s a slight maturity to the proceedings that puts “Damn Drunk” just above the rest. It may be rock, but it’s not bro-country by any stretch of imagination.
It also helps that Dunn commits to the song completely, with a tour-de-force vocal that proves he still has the goods after twenty-five years in the business. He does come off desperate with a scraggily appearance that renders him somewhat unrecognizable (he’s too thin or something), but that thankfully (the desperation) doesn’t manifest itself in this recording at all. Dunn is still himself even if that self is packaged in a modern day setting.
Grade: B
I have always liked Clay Walker as a performer and admired his courage in pursuing his career in the face of adversity, in the form of multiple sclerosis which was diagnosed in 1996 when Clay was twenty-seven years old.
A similar fate befell country superstar Donna Fargo in 1978, definitely affecting her career; however, by 1996 significant progress had been made in the treatment of the illness, so that Clay was not forced to restrict his live appearances to the same extent that Fargo had been forced to do. Accordingly his career surged on, seemingly without missing a beat (although there were lifestyle and dietary changes that Walker made in combating his illness).
Fall was released in April 2007, on Asylum/Curb records, nearly four years after his previous album, A Few Questions, was released on RCA. Clay had signed with Asylum/Curb in July 2005 but, following its usual pattern, it took until February 2007, before the label got round to issuing any new music on Clay.
That brings us to the current album with the first single release being the humorous “‘Fore She Was Mama”. The song tells the story of a ten year old boy who discovers a “box of forget-me-nots” (or old memorabilia) in his parents’ closet.
There was one of her, flippin’ the bird
Sittin’ on a Harley
And a few with some hairy hippie dude
Turns out his name was Charlie
Her hair, her clothes, her drinkin’, smokin’
Had us boys confused
I’ll never forget the day us nosy kids got introduced…To mama ‘fore she was mama
In a string bikini, in Tijuana
Won’t admit she smoked marijuana
But I saw mama ‘fore she was mama
I was stunned to find that this song only made #21 on Billboard’s country charts, since the song received very heavy airplay throughout most of the southeastern USA. In fact I know of four radio stations where the song soared to #1 on the local survey. The song was Clay’s first chart record since 2004.
Track two is the title track, which was the second single released. “Fall” would return Clay to the top ten reaching #5. The song is a nice mid-tempo ballad which the narrator offers moral support to a partner who has had a bad day. The song might have had crossover potential, but Curb released a pop version of the song by Kimberly Locke, another artist signed to Curb, thus killing Clay’s shot at a crossover hit.
Hold up, there you go again
Puttin’ on that smile again
Even though I know you’ve had a bad day
Doin’ this and doin’ that
Always puttin’ yourself last
A whole lotta give and not enough takeBut you can only be strong so long before you break
So fall, go on and fall apart
Fall into these arms of mine
I’ll catch you every time you fall
Go on and lose it all
Every doubt, every fear, every worry, every tear
I’m right here
Baby, fall
Released ten years earlier, the third track “Workin’ Man” would have made a good single. Unfortunately by 2007, country radio was looking for music more in line with the schlock being produced by Rascal Flatts or Jason Aldean.
He slips on his warn out jeans
She buttons up his shirt
A sleepy smile and a goodbye kiss
And he’s up and off to workHe puts in a forty hour week
But she’s on his mind full-time
And he’ll give it everything he’s got
And he’s all her’s at five‘Cause he’s a workin’ man
He don’t mind workin’ overtime
For the trust and the touch of a woman
Come rain or shine
“Miami and Me“ is a mid-tempo song about a love that couldn’t be
Meet her in Miami
Conversation turned to wine
We talked and we talked
Yeah we hit it off, just fine
Stayed down by the water
Slept beneath the stars
We laughed and we danced
Made love in the sand
I held her in my armsBut I couldn’t make her stay
California called her away
And tonight the moon turned as blue as the sea
And she left Miami and me
Track five, “She Likes It In The Morning” is a lovely slow ballad that proved to be the third and final single released from the album. For reasons I will never understand, the song died at #43.
And she likes it in the morning
And I run my fingers through her hair
And she smiles when I call her darling
She looks like a angel laying thereAnd she wants me in the evening
To listen close to how she feels
She needs to know I need her
And Heaven knows I always will‘Cause she loves me every single day and night
And she says we are everything that’s good in her life
She says she loves me more than anything on earth
And that’s almost as much as I love her
Track six “Mexico” is an up-tempo island-vibe track that makes for a good album track. Ditto for track seven “You’re My Witness”, a gentle ballad.
Track eight “Average Joe” is a mid-tempo ballad about the average Joes in any town. The lyrics are a bit of a laundry list, but the song has a nice melody and the song hangs together well
I don’t mind working
I don’t mind drinking
When I need to unwind
And I like listening to a
Country song on a Friday nightI’m a welder in the shop downtown
The drywaller in your brand new house
Yeah I’m your Average Joe
I’m the guy that fixed your van
I’m the painter
I’m your concrete man
Yeah I’m your Average Joe
Track nine, “It Ain’t Pretty (But It’s Beautiful)”, is a tender ballad about, well, various things including appreciating the good things in our lives
Got home and told my wife bout what I’d seen
She grabbed her purse, took me by the hand and said come with me
We drove around until we found the three of them
I wondered who was blessing who when they got in
We bought them food and clothes and drove to a toy store
And the little girl said I don’t need a brand new doll
As she hugged the broken armless one they found before
She said this one needs me moreShe ain’t pretty, but she’s beautiful
She ain’t perfect, but she’s wonderful
She might be broken, but she’s lovable
She ain’t pretty, but she’s beautiful
Track ten, “Before The Next Teardrop Falls” features the late great Freddy Fender in a duet with Clay. The song was a country and pop #1 in 1974. This would prove to be Freddy’s last recording before his death on October 14, 2006. The duet comes off very well and it is nice to know that Freddy’s last recording was a really good one.
The album closes with a pair of nice ballads in “I’d Love To Be Your Last” and “I Hate Nights Like This”.
My friend Brady Vercher of the 9513 blog gave this album three stars and most reviewers at the time of the release had this at 3 to 3.5 stars. My review on Amazon (4/19/2007) was as follows:
“Clay’s first album of new material in several years delivers the solid country sound that one has come to expect from Clay. The first single “‘Fore She Was Mama” received considerable airplay, and seems to hold up well upon repeated listening. I am surprised that “Mama” topped out on Billboard at around 21, because its appeal in the Sunshine State was considerably stronger than that. If radio stations still maintained their own charts, I would expect that this would have been a top five song on stations throughout the Southeastern and Southwestern parts of the USA, perhaps tanking north of the Mason-Dixon line.
The album features a nice mix of slow and up-tempo songs. One of the slower songs “It Ain’t Pretty (But It’s Beautiful)” is a bit maudlin, but for me it’s the best song on the album. Another highlight is Clay’s recording of “Before The Last Teardrop Falls”, a duet with the late Freddy Fender. Freddy’s death isn’t acknowledged anywhere in the CD booklet, but I’m pretty sure it was his last recording.
The current single “Fall” is receiving substantial airplay. I would not have picked it as a single, but I can see where its lyrics would have a strong appeal to female listeners with its strongly supportive message to the wife (or girlfriend).
“Average Joe” is a song that should resonate with many, and it features legendary pianist Hargus “Pig” Robbins. Paul Franklin plays steel on all tracks, but several fiddlers share the spotlight on the various tracks (Rob Hajacos, Stuart Duncan, Larry Franklin).
Welcome back Clay – four stars”
My opinion of the album has not changed since then, although I do not regard “It Ain’t Pretty (But It’s Beautiful)” as the best song on the album anymore.
Track Listing
1. “‘Fore She Was Mama”
Casey Beathard, Phil O’Donnell
3:43
2. “Fall”
Sonny LeMaire, Shane Minor, Clay Mills
3:37
3. “Workin’ Man” M. Jason Greene, Clay Walker 3:55
4. “Miami and Me” Greene, Walker 4:02
5. “She Likes It in the Morning”
Greene, Walker 3:50
6. “Mexico” Greene, Walker 2:41
7. “You’re My Witness” Greene, Walker 3:38
8. “Average Joe” Ed Hill, Don Poythress, David Frasier 3:09
9. “It Ain’t Pretty (But It’s Beautiful)” Doug Johnson, Nicole Witt, Kim Williams 4:00
10. “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” (duet with Freddy Fender)
Ben Peters, Vivian Keith
2:39
11. “I’d Love to Be Your Last” Rivers Rutherford, Annie Tate, Sam Tate 3:24
12. “I Hate Nights Like This” Walker 4:20
1956 (Sales): Heartbreak Hotel/I Was The One — Elvis Presley (RCA)
1956 (Jukebox): Heartbreak Hotel/I Was The One — Elvis Presley (RCA)
1956 (Disc Jockeys): Heartbreak Hotel — Elvis Presley (RCA)
1966: I Want To Go With You — Eddy Arnold (RCA)
1976: Together Again — Emmylou Harris (Reprise)
1986: Now and Forever (You and Me) — Anne Murray (Capitol)
1996: No News — Lonestar (BNA)
2006: What Hurts the Most — Rascal Flatts (Lyric Street)
2016: Somewhere on a Beach — Dierks Bentley (Capitol)
2016 (Airplay): I Like the Sound of That — Rascal Flatts (Big Machine)
1956 (Sales): Heartbreak Hotel/I Was The One — Elvis Presley (RCA)
1956 (Jukebox): Blue Suede Shoes — Carl Perkins (Sun)
1956 (Disc Jockeys): Heartbreak Hotel — Elvis Presley (RCA)
1966: I Want To Go With You — Eddy Arnold (RCA)
1976: Drinkin’ My Baby (Off My Mind) — Eddie Rabbitt (Elektra)
1986: Cajun Moon — Ricky Skaggs (Epic)
1996: No News — Lonestar (BNA)
2006: What Hurts the Most — Rascal Flatts (Lyric Street)
2016: Humble and Kind — Tim McGraw (Big Machine)
2016 (Airplay): You Should Be Here — Cole Swindell (Warner Bros.)
1956 (Sales): Heartbreak Hotel/I Was The One — Elvis Presley (RCA)
1956 (Jukebox): Blue Suede Shoes — Carl Perkins (Sun)
1956 (Disc Jockeys): Heartbreak Hotel — Elvis Presley (RCA)
1966: I Want To Go With You — Eddy Arnold (RCA)
1976: ‘Til I Can Make It On My Own — Tammy Wynette (Epic)
1986: She and I — Alabama (RCA)
1996: No News — Lonestar (BNA)
2006: What Hurts the Most — Rascal Flatts (Lyric Street)
2016: You Should Be Here — Cole Swindell (Warner Bros.)
2016 (Airplay): You Should Be Here — Cole Swindell (Warner Bros.)
1956 (Sales): Heartbreak Hotel/I Was The One — Elvis Presley (RCA)
1956 (Jukebox): Heartbreak Hotel — Elvis Presley (RCA)
(tie): Blue Suede Shoes — Carl Perkins (Sun)
1956 (Disc Jockeys): Heartbreak Hotel — Elvis Presley (RCA)
1966: I Want To Go With You — Eddy Arnold (RCA)
1976: You’ll Lose a Good Thing — Freddy Fender (ABC/Dot)
1986: 100% Chance of Rain — Gary Morris (Warner Bros.)
1996: To Be Loved By You — Wynonna (MCA/Curb)
2006: What Hurts the Most — Rascal Flatts (Lyric Street)
2016: You Should Be Here — Cole Swindell (Warner Bros.)
2016 (Airplay): You Should Be Here — Cole Swindell (Warner Bros.)
1955 (Sales): I Don’t Care/Your Good For Nothing Heart — Webb Pierce (Decca)
1955 (Jukebox): In The Jailhouse Now — Webb Pierce (Decca)
1955 (Disc Jockeys): A Satisfied Mind — Porter Wagoner (RCA)
1965: Before You Go — Buck Owens (Capitol)
1975: Movin’ On — Merle Haggard (Capitol)
1985: Forgiving You Was Easy — Willie Nelson (Columbia)
1995: Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident) — John Michael Montgomery (Atlantic)
2005: Fast Cars and Freedom — Rascal Flatts (Lyric Street)
2015: Girl Crush — Little Big Town (Capitol)
2015 (Airplay): Sangria — Blake Shelton (Warner Bros.)
My Kind of Country 