Artists That Begin With M

Kip Moore

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:41:00 GMT

Singer-songwriter Kip Moore combines a raw and rustic voice with compelling lyrics of honesty to create a unique sound that’s simultaneously hypnotic and edgy. His voice is weathered by life’s detours and disappointments and strengthened by his dreams and determination. His music is infused with relentless intensity, both of passion and frustration.

The boy who grew up daydreaming about life outside of the small town of Tifton, Ga., became a man who has been continually inspired by Bruce Springsteen and Kris Kristofferson to paint vivid portraits with his lyrics.

“I am not drawn to the fairytale kind of love,” says Kip, who had a hand in writing every song on his debut album. “I am drawn to the real-life experiences between a woman and a man. I try to sing about the way it is, but yet at the same time, what you can hope for between a couple. I don’t intend to paint of picture of what it’s really not.”

His music powerfully captures some of the contradictions that he grapples with personally. Although he’s from a large family and enjoys musical collaborations and performing onstage, he’s an introvert who is often more comfortable being alone. “There’s a combativeness to the music too, a fight within,” he says. “With ‘Faith When I Fall,’ I know how bad I need that spiritual realm, but yet I find myself on this other end a lot of times.”

Despite its edge, his music remains desperately optimistic. “I am hoping for what I have yet to become,” he says. “I feel like it’s hopeful for what I’ve yet reached, how I look forward to feeling, but I haven’t gotten there yet.

“I have truly lived my music to a sense, even the milestones I haven’t reached yet,” he says. “I have been in those moments. I’ve been at those crossroads with a girl: ‘Are we going to take that next step?’ I look forward to taking that next step, but I haven’t wanted to yet. I look forward to being ready for that.”

He was born in Tifton, near the Florida line, and was one of six children, the youngest boy who had three younger sisters. “You had to make your own fun, for sure,” he says of Tifton. “I had a lot of time for daydreaming. It was a great town, but I dreamed about getting out. I do enjoy going back now.”

His father was a golf pro and his mother was a painter who used anything handy for a canvas, whether it was cake plates or baby crates. She also taught piano and played the church organ. “I can remember sleeping in the pews,” he recalls. “She would bring us blankets and give us a coloring book and we’d sit there while she played.”

Weekends were often spent driving to the beach with his father for fishing expeditions. “He would play a lot of Jackson Browne, Willie Nelson, Bob Seger, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen,” he says. “As early as I can remember, I always gravitated toward lyrics. Even when I hadn’t lived enough to understand then, they still shaped me. “

During high school, he secretly began playing his brother’s guitar because he was intimidated by the talent of his mother and older brother. “I would play when nobody was around, just figuring out stuff, watching his hands and trying to do the same thing.”

He played point guard for Wallace State’s basketball team and also played on its golf team in Hanceville, Ala., for two years and then transferred to Valdolsta State University on a golf scholarship. He wrote songs daily and joined a band that performed throughout the South, providing him with all of his income. “I was one of those kinds who didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life,” he says. “I didn’t know music was an option. Maybe it was one of those things where I didn’t quite believe in myself.”

Although he devoted every free moment to music during college, his parents still didn’t know about his musical activities. “They were all shocked when they found out about it because they didn’t know I could sing or play,” he says.

After graduation and a short stint as a bartender on St. Simon’s Island, he moved to Hawaii on a whim with just a backpack, a surfboard and a friend. They slept on an airport bench the first night and then lucked into a hut that was $50 a month. They would walk or hitchhike the mile to the beach daily. After six months of this tropical paradise, Kip thought he had found his permanent home until his friend encouraged him to pursue songwriting as a living.

“I didn’t know a whole lot about the world of songwriting,” he says. “I just did it for my own enjoyment. We talked about Nashville and I ended up saying, ‘I’m going to give it a shot.’ I flew back home and told my folks. They thought I was crazy. Now they’ll say different, that they knew all along.”

He drove to Nashville on Jan. 1, 2004 in an old black Nissan truck that contained one bag and his guitar. He immersed himself in the songwriting community, observing songwriters’ rounds for two years and honing his craft before gaining the confidence to join in. After four years of performing locally, he caught the attention of Creative Artist Agency’s Mark Dennis, who called Universal Music Group Nashville’s Joe Fisher. Not only did Joe’s encounter lead to his record deal with MCA Nashville, but it also brought about his introduction to songwriter Brett James, who produced Kip’s debut album.

“Brett gave me the freedom to find who I was as an artist, the freedom for writing a different kind of thing, a different kind of melody and lyric,” he says. “He gave me room to grow.”

He also found important relationships with songwriters Dan Couch, Scott Steppakoff, Westin Davis and Kiefer Thompson, two of whom didn’t have publishing deals when he began writing with them. “There was definitely a special thing when we got in the room together,” Kip says. “I got offers to write with a lot of the bigger guns in town, but I enjoyed what I was doing with them. They were open to my ideas of being different.”

And different his debut project is, as evidenced by the album’s first single, “Mary is the Marrying Kind,” the story of the one who got away. The dreamy and spell-binding song is the true story of one of Kip’s friends, who returned to his hometown after about six years and saw the once tall, lanky girl who had since come into her own and become a model.

“It’s the story of what every man in this world goes through at some point,” he says. “It’s the story of the one that got away that you should have paid attention to. Every town, every city, everybody knows one. Every girl believes they are Mary.”

The anthemic “Drive Me Crazy” is the story of two troubled teens who find a safe harbor in each other, if only for a few fleeting moments. “They are the getaway car for each other from everyday life,” he says. “When they’re together, what they live in is in the rear-view mirror and it’s just one big infatuation love story that lasts for a very short time.

With its irresistible bass line and drums, “Up All Night” is about continuing to live life to its fullest. “’Up All Night’ is the story of not wanting to give into your age and how life is supposed to be lived once you reach a certain age,” he says.

When Kip plays shows, he’s often asked for advice by aspiring songwriters. “Everybody’s experience is different, but I do believe it has to be the only thing,” he says. “I don’t think it can be a gray line. Either you want it and there’s nothing else or it’s not going to happen.”

For instance, Kip was offered a sales position with an enticing salary, but it required working six days a week, leaving no time for creating music. “You come to the crossroads: do you really want this? Are you willing to sacrifice everything, including relationships? I can’t tell you how many relationships have been doomed from the get-go because of this.

“It only took me a few minutes to decline it. It’s such a risk and it’s an alone feeling – you feel like you’re on an island by yourself – but it’s worth every single minute. Had I taken that job, I wouldn’t be sitting here today.”

Find Kip on the web:

Neal McCoy

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:00:00 GMT

“Everybody wants to find that song

that hits the sweet spot,

that is pretty much them, but everybody else, too.

“I think I finally found that song!” – Neal McCoy

In a world where every single is the biggest hit, every song the best one ever, Neal McCoy has had his share of feel good radio records, a few meaningful ballads, the BMI Song of the Year with “Wink” and “The Shake” and a whole lot of fun. But he’s spent almost two decades chasing ‘that song.’

With “A-OK, the song that co-producer Blake Shelton found the Longview, Texan entertainer, McCoy’s quest may be over. With its bouncing beat, bright melody and yes, pure Andy Griffith whistle, the song about seeing the glass as half-full and the smile upside down in a frown, along with the Barry Dean/Luke Laird/Brett Eldridge mid-tempo, is the perfect distillation of McCoy’s always effervescent show.

“I think any song that says ‘It’s gonna be okay, it’s gonna be alright…’ and feels like this one does, has got to be a winner. People really wanna hear, and almost need to hear, that right now…Times being the way they are, and something that makes people feel good? Well, anyone who knows me knows I’m all about that,” McCoy explains.

Ask anyone about Neal McCoy, and they may not be able to name all of the songs, but they’ll go on and on about his live concerts: full-tilt celebrations of music, life, laughter, joy and yes, his five #1s. But don’t make it about Neal McCoy, he sure wouldn’t.

“I think when people come to see you, sure they want to hear your music,” he explains. “But they really wanna be somewhere that makes’em forget their troubles for a little bit; to have some fun, to laugh and remember how good life can be. I always say, they’re not fans…they’re friends and I want’em to have a good time.”

Modesty aside, McCoy has sold over 6 million albums. His entrance into the country music world was championed by Hall of Famer Charley Pride, and his return is being orchestrated by CMA Entertainer of the Year nominee and reigning Male Vocalist of the Year Blake Shelton, and CMA/ACM Album, Single and Female Vocalist of the Year Miranda Lambert.

People like that know music – and performing. Those who came before and those who’re now setting the standard both recognize how special McCoy’s kind of country is.

Or as Blake Shelton himself says, “The only thing that blows me away more than Neal McCoy in concert is the fact he asked me to be involved in making his new album.... I'm honored to work with a hero of mine.”

And the album helmed by Lambert, Shelton and guitar-slinger Brent Rowan is no less special. Nashville’s very best writers – Song of the Year winner Tom Douglas, Rivers Rutherford, Jamey Johnson, Allen Shamblin, and new hitmakers Luke Laird, Brett Eldredge, George Terren & Barry Dean – have all opened up their secret stash of songs saved for the very few who deserve them to provide the songs for XII, McCoy’s Blaster Records debut.

“It’s like my shows, a little bit of everything that makes music special,” explains the man who’s done 15 USO tours, represented President Bush at the inauguration of Phillipine President Arroyo, established the East Texas Angel Network 17 years ago for children with life threatening illnesses, helping over 400 families along the way, and co-written the good natured “Lucky Enough,” an all street corner bravado shuffle and bright-eyed look at life, dreams and love.

“There is so much great music…beyond the labels…we have a little bit of church, a little bit of bar-room, a couple ballads that’ll encourage, and a real Texas thing about finding your groove in the midst of heartbreak with a cold beer and a good jukebox,” McCoy explains.

“It’s like me, but it’s better. Blake and Miranda had definite ideas about what this should be. Blake had met me in ’95 when he’d first come to town and was looking around. He walked in the front door of Atlantic Records – and there I was in the lobby answering phones. I’d had a couple hits by then, but I was goofy like that,” he adds.

“We met again years later, doing radio interviews – and he told me about that. That he couldn’t believe it; but that’s the kinda guys we both are. And Miranda, she’d grown up 30 miles away, playing talent shows around the area and dreaming of doing what I was doing…so, they came to this more invested than I would’ve ever imagined. Both of them get who I am and what makes me, me, and that was what drove all their decisions. That’s Blake playing a lot of the acoustic guitar – and you can hear’em singing all over the single. They had such good ideas, you almost couldn’t hold’em back.”

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Jennette McCurdy

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 20:42:00 GMT

Jennette McCurdy is an energetic young artist with the drive, talent and creative chutzpah it takes to turn dreams into reality. Already a successful actress with a legion of fans who know her as the sassy Sam Puckett on the Nickelodeon TV series iCarly, McCurdy is also a gifted singer/songwriter who has long wanted to launch a career in country music.

"It's always been my favorite," enthuses the petite blonde. "I found that I could relate to it more than any other genre and I felt like it was so honest. It told stories like nothing else and it spilled everything right out on the table. There's hardly a country song that plays that doesn't make you smile and want to dance or want to make you have a tear trickling down your cheek, so for country music to evoke those kinds of emotions, I guess that's what drew me towards it."

McCurdy grew up in Garden Grove, a family-friendly Southern California town. "People think every place in California has got bright lights and big buildings," says McCurdy, admitting her hometown has a decidedly more country feel. "We lived in a little corner house that's blue and white. We had eight people in the house growing up. My grandparents lived with us, mom and dad, my three big brothers and myself. I always remembered my grandma walking around the house singing Patsy Cline songs."

McCurdy grew up with an appreciation for the classics, but also a love for Rascal Flatts, Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Keith Urban and other contemporary country acts whose music provided the soundtrack for her childhood. "I was into Faith Hill when 'Breathe' came out. I love that song," she says. "When I was seven, I actually did a music video where I played her daughter and was able to talk to her and see how nice she is. She really encouraged me at a young age."

By the time she was eight, McCurdy was writing songs and recording them on a tape recorder her mother had given her. In addition to her love for country music, McCurdy cites the Eagles, Bob Dylan and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young as influences, and as a budding songwriter, she also gravitated toward the music of 70s singer/songwriters Carole King, James Taylor and Jim Croce. "I started writing with co-writers very seriously when I was 14 or 15," McCurdy says. "After working on the television show, I would go to co-writers' houses in LA, and on the weekends I'd write, so that was pretty much every day. It just got to a point where I'd say I was writing songs on my blog and everybody was really curious. I really wanted to share my music with people and let everybody hear what I'm about, so I put two songs on iTunes and that attracted label interest."

Most record companies that came calling saw McCurdy as the next big pop star, but that's a vision she didn't share. "They said, 'we want you to do pop, and I said, 'I'm country and I want to really do country. That's my favorite genre and that's where I feel like I belong.' They just all seemed to want to push that," she says of those trying to steer her toward the pop world. "I felt so uneasy about that. I just wouldn't fit in there and I wouldn't be doing what I wanted to be doing. I was really, really blessed to sign with Capitol."

McCurdy's deal with Capitol Nashville provided a birthday memory she'll always remember. "I signed on my 17th birthday, so it was really special," she recalls of inking her deal June 26, 2009. "It was in the conference room and there was this cake with dots on it--dots are my favorite thing--and a big banner that said 'Happy Birthday Jennette!' Everybody from Capitol stopped in and sang 'Happy Birthday' and it was so special. I can't imagine anything better than a record deal on your birthday. I thought I was in a dream. I thought I'd just wake up and go, 'wow, that was a great experience,' but it's real!"

McCurdy's Capitol debut reflects her uniqueness as an artist. She's both an old soul and an effervescent teen. She's a movie buff who credits the original Star Wars with giving her the acting bug and one of her career highlights is a role in the film "Hollywood Homicide" with her hero Harrison Ford. She boasts an acting resume that includes "CSI," "Malcolm in the Middle," "Judging Amy," "Law and Order SVU," "Zoey 101" and "Will & Grace." She's been nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a television series and was nominated for a 2009 Teen Choice Award for Favorite Sidekick for her work on "iCarly."

Though still in her teens, there's a depth to McCurdy's work that comes, in part, from weathering some difficult times. Her mother battled cancer and won, but the disease impacted the entire family, including young Jennette. "I knew how severe that her cancer had gotten," McCurdy says. "She was in the hospital for so long. It was difficult dealing with it, but I think it's so important to write about things like that. I could write other things or could just write somebody else's song, but it wouldn't be true to myself. The whole point of making music is to share your experiences with people because they can relate more if you just tell your story honestly."

McCurdy's ability to tap into a wealth of emotional experiences and channel them into songs has earned her the respect of many of Nashville's top songwriters. On her debut disc, she collaborates with Lady Antebellum's Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley on two tunes—"The Summer Song" and "Heart of a Child." "I remember walking into Charles' house to write and just feeling shaky and really starstruck," McCurdy admits of the collaborative process, which yielded two strong additions to the album. "'Summer Song" is a really fun, upbeat summery kind of song. It'll make you want to turn it up in your speakers and drive to the beach. 'Heart Of A Child' is at the opposite end of the spectrum. It's a little sad. It's reflecting on what it's like to be a child and how great it is to be kind of carefree and not have a worry in the world."

In working on her album, McCurdy also co-wrote with Jessi Alexander, whose credits include Miley Cyrus' "The Climb," Liz Rose, who also writes with Taylor Swift and Luke Laird, who co-wrote two chart topping hits for Carrie Underwood. "I have a cut I wrote with Ty Stevens and Joy Williams [titled] 'Never Let Me Down,'" says McCurdy. "It's one of my favorites. I also wrote 'Not That Far Away' with Blair Daily and Rachel Proctor, who are so great. Then I did a Monty Powell and Anna Wilson song. To walk into Monty's house to write with him was another starstruck experience. I couldn't believe it! I've always been interested in Keith Urban and loved him because of his sensitivity, how genuine he was and how much his heart is just right out there in his songs. I found out that the person he wrote with a lot was actually Monty."

Produced by Paul Worley, McCurdy's album features some of Nashville's most notable musicians, including Chris Rodriguez, Biff Watson, guitarist Kenny Greenberg, drummer Chad Cromwell and keyboardist Mike Rojas. "He's been really awesome," McCurdy says of Worley, "and the band that he assembled I think is the most fantastic element. They added such flavor. I loved them."

McCurdy says her approach to creating her debut album was simple: "I really wanted to just be honest to myself, stay true to myself with every song and deliver a CD that I felt reflected who I am as a person and tell the stories of my life because I feel that that's what people will relate to the most. Country music strikes a chord in peoples hearts that makes you think 'wow! I know exactly what they're talking about. I felt that before.' I wanted people to be able to feel the same thing and I felt that could only be accomplished if I really wrote what I knew."

In addition to juggling dual careers as a recording artist and actress, McCurdy is also a scriptwriter and for four years published her own magazine for young girls. Yet she still finds time to support several charities including St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, the Cody Waters Foundation, Invisible Children and the Starlight Children's Foundation. "It's important to give back. I have such great blessings. It's important to try to use it for good," says McCurdy, who takes her status as a role model for other young people very seriously. "When I started getting so many letters from kids saying they looked up to me and letters from parents and parents saying 'thank you for setting an example, for being somebody that our kids can look up to' that really humbled me and made me realize the importance of being a good role model. Everything in life has a choice and it's a matter of making the right choice and going from there. It's important to live your life with a certain level of integrity and honesty."

Find Jennette on the web:

Tim McGraw

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:09:00 GMT

"A lot of artists can tell you how they feel," says Tim McGraw, "but when somebody can tell you how you feel, and you didn't know it or couldn't put it into words, that's the goal. What you want to do as an artist is let someone discover how they feel from your music, in a really visceral way, from the inside out."

For twenty years, McGraw has been providing that kind of powerful connection with his audience. With Two Lanes of Freedom, his new album—and first release for Big Machine Records—the singer is covering his broadest emotional range yet, with a set of songs that looks forward and back, gets deep and gets loose, and reveals that even the biggest stars can continue to grow with consistency and maturity.

In his record-shattering career, McGraw has sold over 40 million albums, and dominated the charts with 32 Number One singles. Since the release of his debut album in 1993, he has won three Grammys, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, 12 Country Music Association Awards, and 10 American Music Awards, while simultaneously maintaining a parallel career as a successful actor in such films as The Blind Side, Country Strong, and Friday Night Lights—as well as hosting Saturday Night Live, a rare honor for a singer in any genre. McGraw has never been afraid of breaking new ground; over the years, he has collaborated with musicians from Nelly to Tony Bennett to Def Leppard and Ne-Yo.

"I feel like I've progressed in my work, and I've gotten better," says McGraw. "On my last album, Emotional Traffic, I was discovering some new sounds and new things that I wanted to do, scratching the surface of the direction I wanted to head. This album was a way to reach a little further back, to all that I'd done throughout my career, and bring both sides together—it's a combination of that discovery, along with some rediscovery."

Over the last few years, McGraw has seen a transformation in numerous aspects of his career: changes in his management, his record company, and his band. "All of those things make you reflect on where you've been," he says, "and it's hard to think about where you want to go until you look at where you've been. When you listen to this record, there's a lot of that reflection that drives everything forward. It's almost like two magnets, the future and the past, and when they get close to each other, it pushes them away.

"I've always gone in the studio and tried to make the best record I could possibly make," he continues, "but to come into a situation where there's some weight lifted, some refreshment going on, you can feel that in the music. I think you can feel the horses gallop on this record, and where I might go and what I might do when my engines are revving."

On Two Lanes of Freedom, the sense of nostalgia comes through on such classic-sounding tracks as "Annie, I Owe You a Dance" and the hard-driving single "One of Those Nights." The reverie of those songs, though, is countered by the humor and joy of "Southern Girl" or the feel-good hangover of "Mexicoma." McGraw maintains that it was the album's title track that really established the tone for the entire project.

"When we cut 'Two Lanes of Freedom,' there was such a freshness to it," he says. "The track has this sort of Gaelic drive to it, with a synthesized didgeridoo and hurdy-gurdy. The song sets a palette for the whole record because it's so visual—it has that summery, hazy image, and I think that made the whole record open up for me."

If the album addresses a set of classic themes in country music, part of the reason may be that it was recorded in a very traditional fashion. "We were in the studio for two weeks straight, from ten in the morning until eleven or twelve at night," says McGraw. "It was like the old days of making a record, like a bunch of guys going in a submarine and making music."

But the sound that resulted, with hints of everything from rock to hip-hop to bluegrass, is hardly limited to the conventional country playbook. "I don't ever want to paint anybody into a box when we're in the studio," says the singer. "We want these guys to come in and bring everything they have to the table. After the sessions, I got an email from one of the musicians saying that it was such a great experience to be so free to make a record, and the greatest thing to me was this sense of freedom that all the musicians had."

The strength and confidence in the musical settings helped McGraw reach some especially emotional depth in his performances on such songs as "Number 37405," the lament of a singer-turned-convict. Most powerful of all might be "Book of John," a wistful account of a family going through the journal left behind by its late patriarch.

"I don't have a huge reservoir of what a father-son relationship is, I don't have a deep well to draw from," says McGraw. "I didn't know my father very well, had sort of a rocky relationship with my step-dad, and now I have all daughters. So that song spoke to me in an odd way—it came more out of the longing for that sort of relationship than from my own experience, and I think that shows up in how we cut the record and how I sang it."

Two Lanes of Freedom closes with "The Highway Don't Care," a breezy yet complex track that features two of country music's biggest superstars, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban. "When I heard the song, I knew I wanted Taylor to sing on it," says McGraw. "And I've been looking for years for something to have Keith play on, because I think he's one of the best artists we have out there. He's a fantastic guitar player and he went to town on this thing—I would do this for a hundred bucks a night and never sing another lick if I could play guitar like that."

The album begins and ends with images of the road, a scenario that Tim McGraw knows well and he’s sure to embark on another sell-out tour supporting the new album in 2013.

On stage and on record, Tim McGraw remains dedicated to delivering music that is innovative, heartfelt, and authentic. “These songs are written and constructed in a way that people can impose their own memories and put themselves in your place, like going to a great movie and making yourself the hero,” he says. “Art has to be cathartic; that's why people enjoy it. It makes you think or reflect, it purges you emotionally. That's what propels you as an artist, and it’s what makes a listener stay engaged.”

Find Tim on the web:

Justin Moore

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:06:00 GMT

"It's a dirt road, a fishin' pole, a cold beer sittin on a tailgate, an old church, a kind word, it's where I was born and raised, Heaven Ain't That Far Away."

The lyrics from Justin's song, "If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away," typifies his philosophy on life. In his music and in his life, Justin embodies the soul and character of a kid from a small town.

Justin was born in Poyen Arkansas, population 272 where he'd was raised by his parents, Tommy Ray and Charlene Moore, on the family's 100 acres of land. One would have to go to Poyen to really get a sense of just how "small town" it is. There are no street lights, mostly dirt roads, a florist in an old trailer and one filling station; however, as Justin sings in his single, "Small Town USA," it's where "everybody knows me and I know them and that's the way I believe we were supposed to live." Listening to the lyrics, you know Justin's music is from the heart and that he wouldn't want to have been raised anywhere else.

His grandpa "Pa" and grandma Faynette raised cattle and, as a young boy, Justin would help feed the herd, bush hog the fields and learn about hard work. His other grandparents, "PaPa" and "Ma" lived a mile down the road, and "PaPa" taught Justin to fish and hunt and had him in a deer stand hunting before he was 1 year old.

Justin has been singing since he was 2, and at 8 years old he won the talent contest at Poyen High School. He grew up singing gospel songs in church and listening to nothing but Country music. A student of the genre, Justin can literally sing thousands of Country songs, from old to new, word-for-word and melody-perfect.

When Justin packed up and moved to Nashville right after high school at age18, he already had a manager and an offer as a writer/artist with Zomba Music Publishing. As things often go in the music business, Zomba got sold and Justin wound up signing his writing deal with Big Picture Music, headed by Keith Stegall, renowned producer of Alan Jackson, among others.

Through his attorney, Justin was introduced to young up-and-coming producer, Jeremy Stover and, as a result, Jeremy became both Justin's producer and main co-writer. This quickly led to a recording offer with Scott Borchetta's The Valory Music Co. And, while it took a few years to materialize, Justin patience and willingness to wait for the opportunity to work with Scott and his staff at Big Machine Records/The Valory Music Company (home to Taylor Swift, Reba, Jewel and Jimmy Wayne) more than paid off.

2008 proved to be a big year for Justin as he and his band were fortunate enough to tour with some of the biggest stars in Country music. January '08 included tour dates with Trace Adkins and Luke Bryan as well as an opening slot on "The Rowdy Frynds Tour" with Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hank Williams Jr., two of Justin's musical heroes. A show with Brooks & Dunn and ZZ Top was just another highlight of a great year.

Since bursting onto the Country music scene, Justin has been lauded as Billboard's "New Country Artist of 2009" and received nominations for the 2010 CMT Music Awards "Nationwide On Your Side" Award for emerging artists as well as Music Row Magazine's Breakthrough Artist of 2010.

Justin became the only new Country artist last year to earn #1 single status (for his hometown anthem "Small Town USA"). The success of "Small Town USA" made the Arkansas native the first solo artist to have a song from his/her debut album go to #1 since Taylor Swift's "Our Song" (from her Big Machine Records self-titled release) in December 2007. The hit has sold over a half million downloads to-date.

Justin's follow-up single, "Backwoods," followed suite, becoming a Top 5 hit. His new single, "How I Got To Be This Way" has already reached Top 40 status. Justin's self-titled album, which debuted on the Billboard Top 200's Top 10, was recognized as one of the Best Albums of 2009 in The New York Times' "The Year in the Arts" list by music critic Jon Caramanica - no small feat for a small town boy.

Justin spent the majority of 2009 touring alongside Brad Paisley on his "American Saturday Night Tour." 2010 finds Justin again, performing alongside Paisley on the main stage of the superstar's H20 World Tour.

As the approximately 1 million fans to whom Justin played in 2009 will attest, the rising star's live band show is high energy, non-stop, rockin' country, where his songs tell the truth about a kid from a small town who's doing all he ever wanted to do -- play Country music.

Find Justin on the web:

Reba McEntire

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:05:00 GMT

One might expect an entertainment and business mogul to take a break – or at the very least a quick breather – after a career that has produced over 55 million in worldwide album sales; 63 Top 10 hits; the #1 TV sitcom for 6 consecutive years on TWO networks; successful Clothing, Footwear and Home Collections; as well as a stint on Broadway that garnered a Drama Critics Award. As if that wasn’t enough, Reba is also the recipient of 15 American Music Awards, 9 People’s Choice Awards, 7 Country Music Association Awards, 2 GRAMMYS and is one of only four entertainers in history to be honored with a National Artistic Achievement Award by U.S. Congress.

For some, such success may be sufficient reason to rest, if not for the sense of accomplishment, then for the pure exhaustion factor. Don’t ever expect that from Reba. In a career that has evolved from its musical roots into a multimedia business empire, the reigning Queen of Country tackles her 34th studio album, All The Women I Am, with all the intensity, fire and spunk that you would expect from a redhead -- making it clear that slowing down is nowhere near Reba’s current agenda.

For some, such success may be sufficient reason to rest, if not for the sense of accomplishment, then for the pure exhaustion factor. Don’t ever expect that from Reba.

All the Women I Am, is Reba’s follow-up to the RIAA GOLD Certified Keep On Loving You, her 2009 inaugural effort on new label The Valory Music Co. The album became her first solo effort ever to debut at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart. In addition, Keep On Loving You, spent 2 consecutive weeks at #1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and garnered the Top 10 hits, “Strange” and “I Keep On Loving You,” as well as the biggest chart hit of her career, the 4-week #1 “Consider Me Gone,” that earned Reba yet another spot in the record books as one of the only four female Country acts to log more than 3 weeks at #1.

Perhaps the root of Reba’s multimedia success could be illustrated in one very simple mantra, “You’ve got to have a little want to."

In 2010, Reba continues her string of chart success with the lead single from, All The Women I Am. “Turn On the Radio,” a Top 10 hit and rising, is a lively, modern day kiss-off anthem – a song Reba instantly knew she wanted to record: “I fell for the song immediately. I love that it’s an up-tempo, strong woman song about a woman who has been done wrong by her lover and is telling him to turn on the radio if he wants to hear from her through their favorite song.”

And that’s not the only thing she has to say about love on this record. Interestingly, love is a theme that appears on nearly every track on, All The Women I Am, though all are unique in both their delivery and message. The title track, “All the Women I Am,” itself is both an allusion to the reality of Reba’s life – she is, after all, a mother, wife, daughter, sister, entertainment superstar, and businesswoman all rolled into one vivacious woman – as well as an energetic declaration that to love someone is to love all of the characters, traits and behaviors that make them whole. As much as a person is the sum of their qualities, experiences are also a critical factor in the shaping of an individual. It follows, then, that as the listener makes his/ her way through the tracks on this album, each song recalls a distinct experience that contributes to making the superstar all of the women that she is.

In one such experience, Reba sings the strolling tale of a woman whose marriage ended so long ago, that the day her divorce is final is not the heartbreaking milestone that you might expect it to be, but rather just like “every other day before.” Further depicting the nonchalant nature of “The Day She Got Divorced” is Reba’s traipsing delivery of the lyric, which serves to illustrate how numb and detached the character in the song has become.

...it takes a woman who has enough sass, steam and imagination to continue finding new outlets for her creativity and artistry to speak through...

Of course there are always those moments when you are smart enough to know that you should pour water over love’s fire on your own before someone else scorches your heart and you are left to watch the embers smolder. “The Bridge You Burn” is an upbeat, victorious rhetoric about a woman who realizes she needs to end a relationship that she knows will ultimately end in heartbreak before it’s too late. She burns her bridge to her lover by choice and finds herself able to “turn around and say, ‘man that was a close one.’ ”

Yet sometimes the heartbreak is inevitable, as personified in “Cry.” Reba’s soulful voice conveys the strength that is often difficult to find, but also necessary to gather when facing a break-up. In “Cry,” the storyteller lists all the ways in which to fight the tears because: “…if I don’t hold the waters back the dam is gonna crack; And I’ll be damned if I’m gonna drown…”

But don’t think that every song on, All The Women I Am, tells of love gone awry. As a nice juxtaposition, “When Love Gets A Hold Of You,” has a giddy beat reminiscent of the effervescence that tends to envelope those experiencing new love.

Then there’s the depiction of a love that runs so deep and unconditional that only a parent can fully understand what is expressed in the ballad, “When You Love a Child.” Regardless of all its missteps, mistakes or moments of victory, parenting offers one of the most pure and rewarding kinds of love there is as evidenced in the line, “The first time you hold ‘em it’s like you feel God smile when you have a child.”

“Somebody’s Chelsea” is an emotional declaration of the faith we keep that we will find someone who loves us unconditionally, passionately and eternally. Reba co-wrote the poignant tune with Liz Hengber and Will Robinson, “Somebody’s Chelsea,” which was inspired by a scene from the tragic romantic comedy, P.S. I Love You.

Always one to push boundaries and embark upon new territories, Reba tackles yet another first on All The Women I Am: Recording a cover of a Hip-Hop tune. Originally a hit for Beyonce, “If I Were A Boy,” was given a Country makeover via Reba’s legendary vocal style on a 2010 taping of CMT Unplugged. Within seconds of its launch, the clip found its way to the internet, creating a viral hit for the Country superstar. Both the fan and media buzz over Reba’s version of “If I Were A Boy” propelled Reba to begin work on her 34th career studio album (and the second for new label The Valory Music Co.)

Yet another first for Reba on, All The Women I Am, is who she secured to produce the album: the award-winning producer Dann Huff (Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts). Though Dann had worked as a musician on many of Reba’s previous projects, this album marks the first time the two have collaborated in this capacity. “It is so good to be back in the studio with Dann Huff,” Reba contends. “He has played guitar on so many of my albums and I was thrilled when he said yes to producing this CD with me. He’s a very talented, creative and fun person to work with.”

Perhaps the root of Reba’s multimedia success could be illustrated in one very simple mantra, “You’ve got to have a little want to;” in other words, achieving anything in life requires an intense internal fire. This in-your-face track titled, “A Little Want To,” expresses the necessity of both initiative and commitment in conquering one’s aspirations, no matter how lofty or reachable such goals may seem. Reba’s extensive body of work ranges from thriving musical career to incredibly successful television show, from captivating film and Broadway runs to countless thriving business pursuits – and she’s certainly not done. Driven by competition and a desire to be innovative, it’s clear that Reba understands the importance of preserving “A Little Want To” as she continues to find new mountains to climb.

Reba will always be the icon with spunk and class that does things her way and doesn’t dare allow the sky to be the limit.

And Reba’s fans exhibit a bit of the iconic redhead’s fire as well: Reba’s Facebook Fan count crossed one million in August 2010, putting her in the social network’s unofficial Country music “millionaire’s club” alongside Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, Johnny Cash, Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, Tim McGraw, and the Zac Brown Band. Such a triumph doesn’t befall just anyone; it takes a woman who has enough sass, steam and imagination to continue finding new outlets for her creativity and artistry to speak through, always giving her ardent fans a reason to wait and see what she will do next. With her Facebook fan count increasing by an average of 45,000 per week, it’s clear that Reba’s fans do not want her slowing down any more than she does.

All The Women I Am tells the tales of several different women, yet the title also reflects the truth that Reba’s myriad roles and experiences in life all make her the woman she is. So whether she wears the hat of a mother; a wife; a friend; a mentor; an autobiographical author; a Broadway performer; an entrepreneur; an acclaimed television star; or the Queen of Country, Reba will always be the icon with spunk and class that does things her way and doesn’t dare allow the sky to be the limit. And naturally, that’s the woman that people can’t seem to get enough of.

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Martina McBride

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:01:00 GMT

After two decades in the music business, Martina McBride is starting over. Now signed to Republic Nashville, with new management (Clint Higham of Morris Artists Management), a new co-producer (Byron Gallimore), newly-spotlighted songwriting skills (she penned over half the songs on Eleven, her new CD), and a brand new spirit of accomplishment, Martina is swinging into high gear. And she couldn’t be more thrilled.

“It really feels like starting over for me — but with a track record and with the success and experience I’ve had over the years,” she explains. “I feel more mature and more confident, which comes with knowing yourself better. And there are a lot of opportunities now that I haven’t had in a long time.”

When her longtime contract with RCA Records expired in 2010, Martina revved up for new challenges ahead. “There comes a time when you have to step back and say, I need something different,” she says. “It was a risk, but you have to do what feels right.” After weighing her options, Martina decided to join two year-old Republic Nashville, part of the Big Machine Records family of labels. “We had a couple of offers that were really great,” she notes, “but what really drew me in the end was Scott Borchetta and his reputation. When I met with him and his staff, their enthusiasm and passion for music were so evident — not only for the business but for the music. I really got the feeling that they get up every day and say, ‘Wow! We get to be in the music business!” They have an innovative approach and such positive energy. It's contagious and something I wanted to be a part of.”

At the same time, the Big Machine/Republic team was very vocal about wanting to help Martina make a great career record, even if it meant straying from the safety net of her comfort zone. “It wasn’t about ‘OK, let’s sign her and we’ll continue doing what she’s done before’ or ‘let’s see what happens,’” she explains. “It was, ‘We want you, and we want this to be the biggest record of your career.’ To have that belief and confidence in me and to see a future that’s even bigger than what I’ve had at this stage of my career was really exciting.”

The feeling was mutual. Explained Jimmy Harnen, president of Republic Nashville, “Scott and I are big fans of Martina’s. So when we found out she was looking for a new home, we didn’t run after her — we raced after her! An artist of her stature is timeless.”

It was Big Machine’s CEO Borchetta who planted the seeds for another Martina first: recording outside Nashville. “When I’m at home, I wear a lot of hats,” she says. “I get to be a musician part time, but I’m a mom first, and I only get to focus on music a few hours every day. I thought Scott showed a lot of insight when he suggested I go somewhere else to record the new CD. It was a respectful way to say, ‘You need to focus on the music if this album is really important to you.”

With co-producer Byron Gallimore and a seasoned group of Nashville musicians in tow, Martina headed down to Atlanta’s Southern Tracks studio in January of 2011 to begin work on Eleven. The start of the sessions coincided with an ice storm that shut the city down. “There was nothing to do there but make music,” she laughs. “We couldn’t go shopping, we couldn’t go out to eat. Every day we’d slide across the parking lot from the hotel and work in the studio making music all day.” The singer made sure to break the studio time up with trips back to Nashville to see her daughters, but being away from home for several days at a clip let her totally focus on the recording.

Perhaps the most significant aspect of Eleven is the fact that Martin herself co-wrote six of the 11 tracks on the album, something she’s especially proud of. In the past, she admits she wasn’t always secure about her songwriting, but this album has brought her newfound confidence.

“I love songwriters, and I’m not an artist who thinks I have to write everything I record. But people were encouraging me to write and songwriters seemed to want to write with me, so I just decided to really focus and see what came of it. And because of that, this record shows a lot of different sides of my personality. I think it peels back a layer and let's people see more of my personality, especially the playful and fun side.”

Martina’s co-producer Byron Gallimore can’t say enough about the singer’s craft. “This was our first time in the studio together, and she was amazing. She has perfect pitch, delivers 1000%, and she brought her songwriting in on a level that she’s never done before. People are going to look at this album and go, ‘Wow, she wrote that one? And that one? And THAT one??!”

“Teenage Daughters,” Martina’s debut single for Republic Nashville, was released the week after Country Radio Seminar, and fans immediately recognized Martina’s personal stamp in the lyrics. The viewpoint clearly echoes the highs and lows of being a mom with unpredictable teenage daughters and struck a deep chord with fans of all ages. Her follow-up single, "I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” wasn’t penned by the singer but touched Martina personally the very first time she heard it.

“It’s such a powerful song. The first time I listened to ‘I’m Gonna Love You Through It,’ I was moved by what it says,” Martina explains. “I thought immediately, ‘This song is going to help someone.’ I had the same reaction to it that I did the when I heard ‘Independence Day’ for the first time. Even though I haven’t gone through anything like this with someone close to me, I still feel like people listening to this song will find some hope or the words to say what they’re feeling. When I played this song for my husband John, his first reaction was, “That’s what I would want to say to you.’” The song’s video showcases cancer survivors and their supporters as they courageously live their lives. Among those appearing in the video are singer Sheryl Crow, “Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts, “Today” show anchor Hoda Kotb, and well-known television journalist Katie Couric.

As for the superstar herself, she’s frankly exhilarated by the chance to experience what she calls first-time opportunities the second time around. In a career that’s already taken her to breathtaking heights (four CMA Female Vocalist of the Year trophies, three ACM Female Vocalist awards, a GRAMMY win, numerous national magazine covers and features, and appearances on such shows as VH1’s “Divas,” “TODAY Show,” “20/20,” “American Idol” and “Dancing with the Stars”), Martina is ready to take it up a notch with the help of her new label.

On her bucket list: being invited to sing the National Anthem on the Super Bowl and landing a song in a movie so she can perform on the Academy Awards’ annual Oscars telecast. But more than anything, she just wants to continue doing what she’s doing. “"My biggest desire is to keep making records and keep touring,” Martina says with heartfelt passion. “I hope I get to do this for as long as I can, because I love it so much.”

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John Michael Montgomery

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:56:00 GMT

John Michael Montgomery has turned an uncanny ability to relate to fans into one of country music's most storied careers. Behind the string of hit records, the roomful of awards and the critical and fan accolades that have defined his phenomenal success lies a connection that goes beyond his undeniable talent and his proven knack for picking hits. Since the days when "Life's A Dance" turned him from an unknown artist into a national star, John Michael’s rich baritone has carried that most important of assets--believability. Few artists in any genre sing with more heart than this handsome Kentucky-born artist.

It is readily apparent in love songs that have helped set the standard for a generation. Songs like “I Swear,” “I Love the Way You Love Me” and “I Can Love You Like That” still resonate across the landscape--pop icon and country newcomer Jessica Simpson cited “I Love The Way You Love Me” as an influence in a recent interview. It is apparent in the 2004 hit “Letters From Home,” one of the most moving tributes to the connection between soldiers and their families ever recorded, and in “The Little Girl,” a tale of redemption that plumbs both the harrowing and the uplifting. It is apparent even in the pure fun that has always found its way into John Michael's repertoire--songs like “Be My Baby Tonight” and “Sold (The Grundy County Auction Incident),” where John Michael's vocal earnestness takes musical whimsy to another level.

John Michael's origins lie in deceptively modest beginnings. He was born in Danville, Kentucky, to parents who imparted a lifelong love of music.
"Where most people have chairs and sofas in their living rooms," laughs John Michael, "we had amplifiers and drum kits."

The family band played on weekends throughout the area, and John Michael and his brother Eddie eagerly soaked up everything about it.

"To a certain extent," he says, "my dad always had a natural ability to draw fans and entertain people; I don't care if it was on the front porch, the living room, or on a stage. I think that transitioned to me and my brother being able to do that on stage."
John Michael took over lead singing chores after his parents divorced, and he performed for a while in a band called Early Tymz with Eddie and their friend Troy Gentry. Nashville talent scouts began hearing about and then seeing John Michael perform and by the early '90s he had a record deal.

The hits followed steadily, with songs like "Rope The Moon," "If You've Got Love," "No Man's Land," "Cowboy Love," "As Long As I Live," "Friends" and "How Was I To Know" establishing him as one of the elite acts of the era. He received the CMA Horizon award and was named the ACM's Top New Vocalist, setting off a long series of awards that included the CMA's Single and Song of the Year, Billboard's Top Country Artist, and a Grammy nomination. Heavy touring meant he kept the close touch with fans he had begun in the clubs back home.

"You get to know your fans and what they like more and more through the years," he says, "and you kind of gravitate towards one another."

Indeed, he has always had an extraordinarily close relationship with his fans, and they have stayed with him through good and bad times.

Asked what he thinks gave him the edge in a career that calls millions but gives stardom to just a few, he pauses, then thinks back to the legacy of his parents.

"I reckon it was good genes and good blood," he says with a smile. Few who know the depth and breadth of his own growing legacy would disagree.

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Jo Dee Messina

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:06:00 GMT

With the release of "Unmistakable: Love," the first in a series of three EPs to be released in 2010, JO DEE MESSINA steps firmly into the front ranks of country singers with staying power. A collection that displays both her songwriting prowess and her abilities as a co producer, Unmistakable is above all a showcase for one of the genre's most remarkable and distinctive voices.

The Unmistakable EPs--“Love,” “Drive” and “Inspiration”--are being released throughout the year, and include live bonus tracks of Jo Dee’s biggest hits on each. “I think this is a great way to let the fans hear all the recordings made in the last six years,” says Jo Dee. “They not only get to experience the finished product, but the complete collection of songs recorded along the way.”

"I knew she was a great singer," says Chris Ferren, one of five co-producers who worked with Jo Dee on the project, "but I guess I didn't know how great until I worked with her." That is a sentiment echoed across the board from Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts, Jerry Flowers, Dann Huff, James Stroud, who each co-produced cuts on Unmistakable. Flowers goes so far as to deem her "the best vocalist I've ever worked with. No matter what you ask her to do, she can do it, and do it better than what you wanted. She sings from her heart and it's just amazing every single time."

As always, Jo Dee's passion and believability are front and center on Unmistakable, which catalogs her live experiences from a disappointing relationship through a painful but liberating break-up into real and fulfilling love. "You can pretty much feel it that there was a shift in my life during the process of recording these new songs," says Jo Dee, who became engaged, got married and had a baby during the extended creative process.

The EPs display all the range, versatility and exuberance that have long made Jo Dee a fan favorite and have brought her so much success both on record and on stage. What's more, it is a project for which she had complete artistic freedom.

"My team really wanted to hear what I had to say,” said Jo Dee of her songwriting side. “It made the creative process extremely enjoyable."

Unmistakable is the next chapter in a career that has brought the Massachusetts-born singer to the heights of the genre she has loved since she was a little girl. She has sold over five million albums, had nine #1 singles, earned two Grammy nominations in addition to awards by the CMA and ACM.

The Unmistakable EPs follow on the heels of Delicious Surprise, another commercial success, but also a project Jo Dee found especially satisfying in terms of artistic achievement.

"Delicious Surprise was great for me because I was determined to be honest, to be myself" she says. "People were saying, 'It's amazing. You've reinvented yourself,' and I said, 'No, I’m just being me.' And that spirit has continued through this album." Jo Dee's writing talents, long relegated to a back burner, are fully evident in the songs she co-wrote for the new project.

“For years I was afraid to bring out my songwriting. And then as this project got underway, Jerry was saying, 'Come on! Let's write something. I'll help you.' The first day we got together it was--boom--done. They just came."

Her contributions include the title track, “Unmistakable,” a lovely and sensual waltz about the joys of being certain of love and “Think About Us,” an impassioned ballad of loss, both available on the first disc, “Unmistakable: Love.” Soon to be released in the series are "Just Drive," a look at a woman's bid to maintain her courage as she leaves a relationship, and “Shine,” a song that defines her current upbeat state of mind.

The craft and artistry in the new songs represent one of country's true talents at the top of her game. Jo Dee's contributions as co-producer and her one-of-a-kind voice insure that the music, for all its varied takes on love, has a real unity. What's more, she says, "All the producers know each other and they're all great guys, and everybody kind of knew what was going on sound-wise with everybody else, so it is very consistent from beginning to end."

Jo Dee brings world-class pipes, an unbreakable spirit and a unique musical and personal style all to bear on the project.

"I think what makes it all work," she says, "is the fact that it’s so real and relatable to the listener. It rings true for people.”

This year, she has taken all of her experiences, her enthusiasm and most importantly, her songs, on a unique cross-country “Music Room Series Tour.” Modeled after the music room in her home, where she sings, writes and rehearses, the tour includes a simple stage with piano and a couple of backing musicians. Each show is distinctive in that Jo Dee plays songs new and old, takes requests, answers questions and gives fans a new insight to the stories behind the hits.

That irrepressible spirit of country music has been in Jo Dee’s DNA since her childhood in Holliston, Massachusetts. She was first attracted to country in the music of Alabama and Hank Jr. as well as Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire. She appeared in local plays and musicals as a girl, and by 16 she had a band that included her sister on bass and her brother on drums. She performed in clubs throughout the Northeast, booking shows and hauling gear, with a work ethic she inherited from her single-parent mother.

At 19, she loaded a car and headed to Nashville, where she entered talent contests and got a regular gig on Nashville's "Live at Libby's" radio show. Producer Byron Gallimore heard her and introduced her to another struggling newcomer named Tim McGraw. Jo Dee was signed, then dropped, by one major label before, at a backstage meeting at Fan fair, she met and charmed a Curb Records executive and got a record deal on the spot.

With Gallimore and McGraw producing, Jo Dee gained attention out of the box with "Heads Carolina, Tails California" and "You're Not In Kansas Anymore." Her follow-up album, I'm Alright, exploded with its back-to-back-to-back chart-toppers "Bye Bye" (ASCAP's Song of the Year), "I'm Alright" and "Stand Beside Me" made her a star. Jo Dee won the ACM's Top New Female Vocalist award, the CMA Horizon award and the nod for Most Played Country Female of 1999 from Billboard. The Burn album entered the Country Albums chart at #1, went platinum and earned two Grammy nominations. Hits like "Lesson in Leavin'," "Because You Love Me," "Downtime," "Bring On The Rain," "That's The Way" and "My Give A Damn's Busted" would cement her reputation as one of country's most loved and enduring hit-makers. Along the way, Jo Dee earned a well-deserved reputation as an electric live performer, becoming one of the first women of country to mount a major headlining tour.

Jo Dee's drive is evident in her personal life as well. A dedicated runner, she has completed two marathons and still trains. "On the road, I'll get up and run, and since my steel player is training with me we run together," she says. "Then I go to the gym and lift weights, have lunch, do the sound check and then my meet and greet, do the show and get to bed as early as I can. No staying up late partying!"

Her marriage to Chris Deffenbaugh and the addition of their son, Noah Roger, in January 2009, is part of a life in which genuine comfort and happiness seem to be the main order of business. Balancing motherhood and her career is a challenge she is facing head-on with a joy befitting the situation.

"My guard is kind of let down a little," she says. "I'm a little more vulnerable because I am in a safe place. And it's not just my personal life, but me as a person. I've just grown. I've realized that I can only be who I am. I was married to my career for years," she says. It came first. It came before birthdays, it came before weddings and funerals, and it came before everything. A couple of years ago I said, 'Wait a minute! This garden needs some tending. The most real thing in my life is relationships.'"

For Jo Dee, it’s now about balance and living life to the fullest.

"I’m a work in process," she says. "I am constantly learning. I'm constantly growing. You're always evolving and it never ends. You're never, 'OK. I'm done. I've figured it all out.'"

That sense of exploration has always gone into her art, and it infuses the Unmistakable trilogy..

"In the midst of your creativity is when you're most in tune with God. There is a creative rebirth on these records, and it came so effortlessly. I can't wait for people to finally hear them."

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David Lee Murphy

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:49:00 GMT

When David Lee Murphy describes his new album, he repeatedly returns to the same words: fun, rockin', rowdy, good-times. "For me, that's what music is all about," the veteran country-rocker says. "Whether I'm writing, recording, performing or listening to music, the whole experience for me is about enjoying yourself, getting away from the real world and having a good time."

His commitment to a good time is obvious throughout the new CD, Tryin' To Get There, the acclaimed rabble-rouser's first album since signing with Audium Records. On it, he takes up where he left off with such earlier hits as the rowdy anthem "Party Crowd," the stirring "Dust on the Bottle", the hooky "Every Time I Get Around You", and the soulful "Road You Leave Behind".

If anything, Murphy has raised the stakes: His raucous songs rock with more swagger, and his neon-lit honky tonk tunes show more wisdom and soul. "I’ve always been about edgy, blue-collar, working-class country that’s done with heart and soul," Murphy explains. "It’s rockin’, it’s fun and it’s real. It’s about what people do in their lives, especially when they’re in the mood to live it up a bit."

As usual, the tall dark-haired, blue-eyed singer sets his own musical direction. His independent, in your face, no holds barred attitude is right where the current country music pendelum is returning. Murphy says, "There’s a whole world of people out there who’ve always loved the rowdier side of country music. They’ll respond to your music if it’s hard-hitting and honest."

His new album certainly speaks to those kinds of fans. "I might be a little loco, baby, but a little bit crazy’s all right," he sings with a wink and a grin in "Loco." That same spirit runs through such red-dirt stompers as "I Like It Already," "Same Ol’ Same Ol’," "She Always Said" and "Mama’s Last" - all of which are about colorful characters who indeed are a little loco.

"There’s no denying that this is a rockin’ party record," Murphy says with no apologies. "They’re just wide open songs for all those beer-drinkin’, hell-raisin’ kind of country fans. I make music for all those folks inside and outside the city limits who like to let their hair down on the weekend." I want folks to come to a show and have a good time. For me, it's not a great show unless people loosen up and get a little crazy."

That sentiment, of being a little crazy to keep from going insane, is something Murphy shared with Waylon Jennings, one of the singer’s heroes, mentors and friends. Murphy and Jennings co-wrote the title cut, "Tryin’ To Get There," which shows off the singer’s soulful side. "I’ve learned along the way that we’re all looking for the same thing," Murphy sings, "And I’m trying to get there the best I can."

He’s understandably proud to feature one of their collaborations on his first album since Jennings’ untimely death. "I have a lot of respect for guys like Waylon, Johnny Cash and Johnny Paycheck - so many of those guys that we’ve lost in recent years," Murphy says. "Waylon had a huge impact on me, and being able to write songs with one of my heroes and to get to know him was a real big deal. That song is real special to me."

Another theme running through the album is the presence of women who stand up for themselves - women who go for what they want and don't take any gruff. "I like strong women," Murphy explains. "I just like women, period. I like smart women. I like women who are independent. I always have. A lot of the female characters in my songs are a little bit sassy and I like that. A lot of the women in my life are that way too."

He also got the chance to make a record with a lot of ol’ musician friends backing him in the studio. "I love these guys because they’re not afraid to lean on it and hit it hard," Murphy says. "I like for the players in the studio to play like they’re a little bit pissed off. Sometimes in Nashville the sessions don’t sound very aggressive. But the players I had all know me and my music and they weren’t shy about letting it fly. That’s why the record sounds so rockin’."

Similarly, Murphy’s lets his personality show in his vocals. "I just sing it the way I feel it," he notes. "I don’t worry so much about whether the pitch is perfect. It’s just gotta feel good. It also makes a difference if you write what you sing, because the language is your own. You write in your own meter and in the rhythm that works naturally for you, and I think that makes the song work better." Murphy wrote or co-wrote all twelve songs on the record.

Meanwhile, Murphy has stayed successful as a songwriter in recent years. Hank Williams Jr., Brooks & Dunn, Chris LeDoux, Montgomery Gentry, Trick Pony, Aaron Tippin and a host of others have recorded his songs. "I knew I was gonna make another record someday, so I’ve been holding back songs that I felt would work best for me and that would stand the test of time," Murphy says. "I’ve taken the time to write and record the record I wanted to make. And now I’m chompin’ at the bit to get back out there and play these songs live."

The timing certainly is right, and fans no doubt will raise a glass and toast his return. "I wanted this to be a record that, when people hear it, they wanna turn it up loud," he says. "I want them to try and blow the speakers out of their cars. I want them to put this record on when they’re in the mood to party. That’s when I know I’ve succeeded.

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