Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty - Various Artists

One of the things I love about doing a music blog is being able to share some of the music that I am enjoying listening to at any given moment. I realise that not everyone who reads the blog will have the same musical taste, but that's okay, I'm not going to get on your case about it. I guess the one thing I have always tried is to do put something up that might give you the reader an opportunity to experience something different from what you normally listen to. Today's choice is a collection of songs by Tom Petty performed a number of artists from the world of Country Music. 

For those who may be wondering where Country Music fits among all the other types of music I listen to, let me assure you that it's not a new thing at all with me. As a kid I grew up with a Mother, who among her own musical tastes, absolutely loved Country Music. It was not uncommon to hear the sounds of Hank Williams, Hank Snow, Johnny Cash, Charlie Rich, Dolly Parton, Glen Campbell and Tammy Wynette plus loads more playing on the living room stereo. Add to that my own delving into the genre with the music of Hank Wangford, Emmylou Harris, Buddy & Julie Miller, as well as newer artists like Miranda Lambert, Jason Isbell, Ashley McBryde, Eric Church, and oh so many more.

So if you are open to experiencing something new to your ears this might be a good starting place. There are links for every song on the album and as a wee bonus I'll post a few links for some other artists covering the songs of Tom Petty.

Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty - Various Artists
Big Machine
21st June 2024

Album Trailer

 

Tracklist:
1 “I Should Have Known It” – Chris Stapleton
2 “Wildflowers” – Thomas Rhett
3 “Runnin’ Down A Dream” – Luke Combs
4 “Southern Accents” – Dolly Parton
5 “Here Comes My Girl” – Justin Moore
6 “American Girl” – Dierks Bentley
7 “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” – Lady A
8 “I Forgive It All” – Jamey Johnson
9 “I Won’t Back Down” – Brothers Osborne
10 “Refugee” – Wynonna Judd & Lainey Wilson
11 “Angel Dream #2” – Willie Nelson & Lukas Nelson
12 “Learning to Fly” – Eli Young Band
13 “Breakdown” – Ryan Hurd feat. Carly Pearce
14 “Yer So Bad” – Steve Earle
15 “Ways to Be Wicked” – Margo Price & Mike Campbell
16 “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” – Midland
17 “Free Fallin’” – The Cadillac Three feat. Breland
18 “I Need to Know” – Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives
19 “Don’t Come Around Here No More” – Rhiannon Giddens feat. Benmont Tench
20 “You Wreck Me” (Live) – George Strait

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Tom Petty (pictured above, credit to Sam Jones) and Country Music, it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea (some Petty fans are already foaming at the mouth in rage that such a thing is happening!) but I think it's a gem of an album. It also has the seal of approval from the family of Petty and even a couple of Heartbreakers turn up on the album (Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench). I guess if folks have an axe to grind about the album they should take it up with those who gave it the okay in the first place rather than attack the artists involved in the project.

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Bonus: The Songs of Tom Petty

Walls (Live) - Glen Campbell

You Wreck Me - UK Subs

American Girl (Live) - The Killers

Wildflowers (Live on The Howard Stern Show) - Miley Cyrus

Free Fallin' (Live on BBC Radio 2) - Busted 

The Waiting (Live From Home) - Jackson Browne

Runnin' Down A Dream ( Clear Channel iHeart) - Daughtry

I Won't Back Down - Johnny Cash

A Face In The Crowd (Live) - Spoon 

Learning To Fly - Nat Simons

Love Is A Long Road - Beth Bombara

Honey Bee (Live SirusXM) - Foo Fighters

Angel Dream No.2 - Norah Jones

I Need To Know (feat. Mike Campbell) - Starcrawler

Stop Draggin' My Heart Around - Hindley Street Country Club

Breakdown (Live at Austin City Limits Radio 2017) - Lukas Nelson

 Saving Grace - Ragged Union

All The Wrong Reasons - Knoeline Keane

You Don't Know How It Feels - Walk off the Earth

Even The Losers - The Undecideds

 

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 245 - Eric Church (2)

Mr Misunderstood - Eric Church

EMI Nashville

Produced by Jay Joyce

Released 3rd November 2015

US Chart #2

US Country Chart #2

Tracklist

A1     Mr. Misunderstood    
A2     Mistress Named Music    
A3     Chattanooga Lucy
A4     Mixed Drinks About Feelings
A5     Knives Of New Orleans    
B1     Round Here Buzz    
B2     Kill A Word
B3     Holdin' My Own    
B4     Record Year    
B5     Three Year Old

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Way back in May this year I spotlighted Eric Church's Caught In The Act Live album.

In the latest issue of Classic Rock there's a pretty cool interview with Eric Church as the mnagazine shines a light on the world of Country Rock:

“We’ve always been on the edges of country,” considers Church. “But it’s funny, because when Chief happened, we became arguably one of the biggest acts in the format. And I think we kinda pulled to the middle. I’m real uncomfortable there. To me, it’s always been about trying to get out on the edges. And to stay out there.”

He certainly doesn't do things by the "rules" either as his latest album, Mr Misunderstood, that was released last year just seemed to appear with very little fanfare, no major promotional gimmicks or even advertising! The album just kind of crept out, first releasing it to his fan club and then the day after releasing it on iTunes. The album you would have assumed didn't go down too well with so little promotion, but it made it to #2 on both the Billboard 200 Chart and the Top Country Chart.

I'm guessing that he has every right to do things the way he wants to do having begun life in Nashville writing hit songs for other people before his own career finally took off in 2006 with Sinners Like Me. But it was his 2011 album Chief that blew the roof off as it hit the top spot not just on the Country Chart but also the Billboard 200.

Reviewing Mr Misunderstood for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Erik Ernst writes, "Church is country music's weird kid, who bucked the industry's expectations to chase cookie-cutter radio hits and defiantly forged his voice as an innovative, authentic songwriter."

I would totally agree with that assessment!

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 242 - Kiefer Sutherland

In my 53 years of life, Music is one of those things that still has the abiltity to take me by surprise. Here's the latest one to capture me!

Kiefer Sutherland is a man who is used to telling stories with a wide array of characters in films or on TV shows but this time around his choice of script is a song, 11 of them to be precise that he has co-written with Jude Cole (and one with Cole and J. Wade) and put out on his debut album Down In A Hole.

His father, actor Donald Sutherland, bought him a guitar when he was 13 and he's been playing and writing music as a hobby ever since. He became so fascinated by the music business that in 2002, he launched a record label called Ironworks that released records from other musicians - including HoneyHoney, Lifehouse and Rocco DeLuca - but he'd only go in the studio himself after everyone else had left.

"It was something that was very private and in fact, I had no intention of ever making an album," Sutherland said.

He started recording songs intending to pitch them to other singers. When his musical partner and producer Jude Cole heard them, he tried to convince the actor to just cut a record himself.

"I am clearly aware of the stigma of an actor doing music and I said, 'Not on your life,'" Sutherland said. "... And he took me to a bar and got me drunk and it started to sound like a better idea."

Sutherland describes the music on his album as "Americana singer songwriter with a country kick." He's got so many songs in the can that he's already working on a second album.

He was out touring earlier this year. "We didn’t play any major markets," he says of the trek. "We wanted to go to places where most people don’t stop by, and those people were incredibly generous to us. We didn’t play New York, L.A., Chicago, Nashville or Austin. We’ll earn our way to those spots."

And he's actually quite impressive live from what I've seen of footage on You Tube.

Can't Stay Away 

Live The Majestic in Madison, Wisconsin 

15th April 2016.

Going Home

Buck Owens' Crystal Palace

27th February 2016

Down In A Hole - Kiefer Sutherland

Ironworks Music/Atlantic

Produced by Jude Cole

Released 12th August 2016

Not Enough Whiskey

Can't Stay Away

Kiefer Sutherland made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry back on the 31st May this year where he performed three songs, two of his own, Shirley Jean and Not Enough Whiskey, and also a cover of Merle Haggard's Tonight The Bottle Let Me Down.

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!

Midwest Farmer's Daughter - Margo Price (March 2016)

I always like finding something that's new to my ears and watching The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon I stumbled across Margo Price performing Four Years of Chances.

Although her album has been out since March it's the first time I have heard of her (I seem to have missed her when she played on Later...with Jools Holland earlier in May as well).

I know very little about her seeing that it was only about an hour ago that I watched Fallon and rewatched her clip a few times. 

I think I'm going to investigate further and go and buy the album. For the moment though, if Margo Price is new to your ears also, I hope you enjoy it.

Here's a little bit more info from NPR:

Album Review.

NPR Interview with David Greene.

 Midwest Farmer's Daughter - Margo Price

Third Man Records

Produced by Alex Munoz

Released 25th March 2016

US Billboard 200 Chart #189

US Top Country Albums #10

US Top Independent Albums #11

UK Country Albums #1

On The Playlist

01. Hands of Time - (Pseudo Video)

02. About To Find Out - (Official Audio)

03. Tennessee Song - (Sun Studio Session)

04. Since You Put Me Down - (Promo Video)

05. Four Years of Chances - (Grimey's Instore Performance March 2016) 

06. This Town Gets Around & How The Mighty Have Fallen - (Rough Trade East May 2016)

07. Hurtin' (On the Bottle) - (Promo Video)

Weekender and World's Greatest Loser are not on the playlist as I couldn't find an available version on You Tube. Versions of the songs in the playlist are not necessarily the versions released on the album.

NPR Front Row

SXSW Showcase 

16th March 2016

Pistol Annies - Annie Up (May 7th 2013)

Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley are back as Pistol Annies with their second album due for release next week.

12 tracks of sassy country written by all three girls. They have released a Lyric Video for the first single off the album called, 'Hush, Hush'.

Track Listing for Annie Up:

1. I Feel A Sin Comin’ On – Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley (BMI/ASCAP)
2. Hush Hush – Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley (BMI)
3. Being Pretty Ain’t Pretty – Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley (BMI/ASCAP)
4. Unhappily Married – Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley (BMI/ASCAP)
5. Loved By A Workin’ Man – Angaleena Presley (ASCAP)
6. Blues, You’re A Buzz Kill – Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley (BMI/ASCAP)
7. Don’t Talk About Him, Tina – Miranda Lambert/Angaleena Presley (BMI/ASCAP)
8. Trading One Heartbreak For Another – Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley (BMI/ASCAP)
9. Dear Sobriety – Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe (BMI)
10. Damn Thing – Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley (BMI/ASCAP)
11. Girls Like Us – Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley (BMI/ASCAP)
12. I Hope You’re The End Of My Story – Miranda Lambert/Ashley Monroe/Angaleena Presley (BMI/ASCAP)

Fist City at The Grand Ole Oprey.

Takin' Pills Promo Video. 

Willie Nelson - Heroes 2012

Just when you think you've heard every suprising collaboration something comes along that totally blows you out of the water! Such is the nature of the latest Willie Nelson album, 'Heroes' well actually one track and it features Snoop Dogg!

Roll Me Up and Smoke When I Die

It's not like they haven't collaborated before. Last year The Dogg released Doggumentory and it included the track 'Superman' with Nelson on vocals.