Marty Brown Jr. Praise Band: “Jesus Paid It All”

Chimesfreedom has previously noted that country singer-songwriter Marty Brown‘s talent seems to run in his family. Brown’s son Marty Brown Jr. has recorded some songs with his father, and recently the proud father posted some videos of a performance by the Marty Brown Jr. Praise Band.

While the video is of a live performance, with the usual sound problems that live performances can have, Marty Jr. and his band do an excellent job on the classic hymn. Check it out and listen to that voice.

The lyrics to “Jesus Paid It All” were written a long time ago by Elvina Hall (1822-1889), a member of the Monument Street Methodist Church in Baltimore, Maryland. Hall was sitting in the choir loft at church bored during services when she came up with the words for “Jesus Paid It All.” With no paper, she began writing down the lyrics on the pages of a hymn book. Subsequently a pastor at the church came up with idea to combine Hall’s lyrics with music written by choir director John T. Grape for a song called “All to Christ I Owe.” It was a great combination.

Speaking of great combinations, Marty Brown Jr. is currently touring as part of his father’s backup band, The Kentucky Wildcats.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me”: Randy Travis and Marty Robbins

    Randy Travis Don't Worry

    Randy Travis has released a video for “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me,” a track from his upcoming album Influence Vol 2: The Man I Am (2014). This album of Travis covering songs that influenced him was recorded prior to Travis’s 2013 stroke that reportedly left him unable to speak. But it is still great to see some new music coming from the country singer.

    Travis’s new song is a cover of “Don’t Worry,” which was written by Marty Robbins, who had a number one hit with his own recording of the song in 1961. Here is Randy Travis’s version, which uses the slightly longer title, “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me.”

    The original Marty Robbins version, “Don’t Worry,” which was released as a single and first appeared on the album More Greatest Hits (1961), features a little piece of music history. Reportedly, the distortion you hear in the song below starting around the 1:25 mark was an accident. During the recording, a tube blew in the amplifier of session musician Grady Martin, who played guitar on the track. Martin did not like the sound, but producer Don Law kept it in, resulting in one of the first recorded guitar distortion sounds used on a record.

    Grady Martin is also known for sounds he did intend. He played the famous guitar riff on Roy Orbison’s “Oh Pretty Woman,” and he played the nylon-string guitar on Marty Robbins’s hit “El Paso.”

    Randy Travis’s Influence Vol 2: The Man I Am — a sequel to Influence Vol. 1: The Man I Am (2013) — will be in stores on August 19, 2014. Other songs on the album include “Sunday Morning Coming Down,” “For the Good Times,” and “Are the Good Times Really Over.” We look forward to hearing more of these songs. And in light of reports that Travis’s loss of voice may not be permanent, we are also hopeful for his health to continue to get better and for him to make some new recordings.

    Which version of “Don’t Worry” do you like best? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    • Conor Oberst on Letterman: “Hundreds of Ways”

    Conor Oberst Letterman

    This week, singer-songwriter Conor Oberst appeared on Late Show with David Letterman and performed “Hundreds of Ways.” The 34-year-old Oberst is backed up by the roots rock band Dawes on the catchy song with a bit of a country influence (even mentioning “Bakersfield”). The lyrics recount a vague personal journey, reminding the listener that life is not fair while presenting a more uplifting conclusion about getting through the day in the chorus. Check it out.

    But there are hundreds of ways
    To get through the days;
    There are hundreds of ways,
    Now you just find one.

    “Hundreds of Ways” is from Upside Down Mountain (2014), a solo album that Spin Magazine listed as one of the best CDs of the year so far. To listen to a recent full concert by Oberst and Dawes, head over to NPR, which has the audio for his July 27, 2014 performance with Dawes at the Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island.

    What do you think of “Hundreds of Ways”? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    If the song sounds familiar, we first heard hobbit Pippin (Billy Boyd) singing it in Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies hits theaters on December 17, 2014.

    Are you excited about another trip to Middle Earth?  Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Ryan Adams Performs “Stay With Me” From Upcoming Album

    Ryan Adams Gimme

    Recently on Tuesday, July 22, singer-songwriter Ryan Adams performed the song “Stay With Me” at State Theatre in Portland, Maine. The song will appear on his forthcoming self-titled album, Ryan Adams. Check out his playful performance in the video below.

    Ryan Adams will be the fourteenth studio album from Adams, whose last CD Ashes & Fire came out in October 2011. The three-year layoff is a relatively long one for Adams, who is generally known for producing a lot of material. Adams recently explained to Rolling Stone that he stopped recording for awhile because of Ménière’s disease, an inner ear disorder. Fortunately, therapy from a hypnotherapist and some medical marijuana helped get Adams back in the studio.

    As you can tell from “Stay With Me,” the new album features powerful rockers with a different sound than his previous album, which I liked a lot. Adams already released the song “Gimme Something Good” from the new album as a 7-inch single, and it became the number one seller on Amazon.

    I am reserving my judgment on the new music until I hear the whole album, but I am happy to see Adams making music again. The label Pax-Am releases the whole album Ryan Adams on September 9.

    What do you think of the new music from Ryan Adams? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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