Down by The Ol’ Mainstream: Joey + Rory
1 December 2008 in CD Review, Down by The Ol' Mainstream, Texas Music, Video, blah blah blah
Down by The Ol’ Mainstream has been a not-too occasional feature here on the Knob, but you’ll likely see it more. My goal is to spotlight worthy releases that have a bit more polish to them than the normal music I blab about. Check the “categories” on the left of the page for others in this series.
I’ll admit it, I watched the CMT show Can You Duet this past summer. This is gonna sound crazy…real crazy, but there was some serious talent on that show, and for once, the artists that had real talent ended up making it to the end. I did have my issues with the show. The judges (Naomi Judd being one of them) were corny and painfully obvious in their attempt to be American Idol clones. Also, they manipulated certain teams to form new duos and I just felt that was a bit too much meddling and took away from the point of the show. Having said that, a pair that almost won the thing and needed no meddling from the judges was the hubby/wife combo of Joey + Rory.
Joey Martin and Rory Feek quickly signed to Sugar Hill Records and have recently released The Life of a Song.I can only hope is sign of things to come for Top 40 Country. Martin (the female half of the duo) sings lead to great effect with her sultry, twangy style. With piano and fiddle driven Honky-Tonk numbers like “Cheater-Cheater” and “Tune of a Twenty Dollar Bill” that have the energy and spunk of some of Mary Chapin-Carpenter’s hits from the 90’s (think “I Feel Lucky” or “Down at the Twist & Shout”) and slower, softer tracks like “Say Goodbye”, “Sweet Emmylou”, and “Loved the Hell” that bring to mind some of Trisha Yearwood’s more memorable ballads for thier drama and strong, emotional resonance (think “Song Remembers When” or “Walk Away Joe”). Perhaps you noticed that the two artists I mentioned are ones that enjoyed their commercial hey-days in the 90’s. Sadly, those are talented artists that continue to make solid music yet do not receive much attention for it.
I guess you could say that I am nervous that this album will not make the big splash that it deserves to make as a result of being so true, heartfelt and most of all, country. There are some great and fairly new artists that are attempting to bring some semblance of tradition back to the mainstream such as Jamey Johnson, Ashton Shepherd and even Zac Brown to a lesser degree. Perhaps with the addition of Joey + Rory to this collection, we will continue to see more artists making the records that aren’tashamed of actually showcasing piano, fiddle and pedal steel as primary sounds and not just merely background dressing. See? Reality TV isn’t so bad!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmqIsnIp5uc]
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[...] The Gobblers Knob reintroduces its “Down by The Ol’ Mainstream” feature for Joey+Rory&…, The Life of a Song, and says a couple of the honky tonk numbers have the same energy and spunk of some of Mary Chapin-Carpenter’s hits from the ’90s while the slower, softer tracks bring to mind the drama and strong, emotional resonance of Trisha Yearwood’s more memorable ballads. [...]
Amen, right down to your comparisons to Yearwood and Chapin and your shout out to ’90s country music!
thanks leeann -
it sux, cuz i think that is what makes the album strong, yet i bet it is also what will keep the album from being the big hit it deserves to be!
This is REAL good…as usual you’re assessment is right on the money!! I hope all is well in Texas.
thanks big fitz, and yes things are good down here…how was that reckless kelly show in fla a while back?
I was, Unfortunately, not able to attend the Reckless Kelly show. My wife had a previous engagement and two of my boys had football practice that night. Had they been the headliner, I probably would have still tried to make it. Anyway, I was very disappointed. However, at this same venue in January, Alejandro Escovedo is coming and then a couple weeks later the English Beat will be there. I am intrigued by the English Beat, I really liked them in the 80’s, but am not sure what their lineup consists of these days. Have you heard anything?
that sux, but i imagine that RK’s national profile has been raised with this album and tour, so hopefully they will make it back soon enough…as far as the English beat, I dont have a clue. I am not as familiar with them, actually, and only know the radio songs they had way back when…Escovedo will be great though…
Even though I kinda feel like I’m budding into your conversation, I’m a new fan of Reckless Kelly….you know…just sayin’.
And, yeah, I think you’re right about why the J+R album won’t be a hit.
Welcome to both the discussion AND to Reckless Kelly! i am kinda jealous that you have so much gold yet to discover with them if youa re just getting started…the dbl live disc “Reckless Kelly was Here” is a good “RK 101″, but it doesnt have any of the Bulletproof stuff on there, but its a great document, as RK is unreal live!
I’ve started with Bulletproof and will get this one that you’re suggesting. I’ll be back to tell you what I think of it.
I actually love it when I can discover artists after they’ve had a couple of albums or more under their belts. It’s kind of like geting into a television series after it’s already a few seasons in and there’s a marathon of DVD seasons to watch. Does that make sense?
absolutely, that makes sense as i feel the same way! I came across the pogues, dropkick murphys and flogging molly well after they started, so i had all kinds of celtic love to catch up on..same with jenny lewis and rilo kiley, which is my recent “find”…