Music Archives - Page 133 of 247

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.

“Boomtown”: The Debut Album from Maceo

The Great Lost Career of Marty Brown

Marty Brown’s Son Christian Brown Auditions on “American Idol”

Marty Brown Sings His Song “To the Moon” (Originally Recorded by George Strait)

George Strait Sings a Marty Brown Song: “To the Moon” (Song of the Day)

Marty Brown Sings “There’s a Honky Tonk in Heaven”

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

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

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.

How Merle Haggard Almost Gave “Today I Started Loving You Again” to Marty Robbins

Belgians Reach Out to Bruce Springsteen With “Waiting on a Sunny Day”

Jim Boggia Has a Ukulele and He’s Learned How to Make It Talk

Merle Haggard, The Impressionist

Cover of the Day: “Walking in Memphis”

Conor Oberst on Letterman: “Hundreds of Ways”

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.

Why Did Stephen Colbert Sing “Jump Up” With Elvis Costello on the Final “Late Show”?

Anna Tivel’s “Animal Poem” (Song of the Day)

Nina Simone: “To Love Somebody” (Cover of the Day)

Allison Russell: “The Returner” (Song of the Day)

Allison Russell’s “Nightflyer” (Song of the Day)

Connie Smith: “Once a Day” (Song of the Day)

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

Ryan Adams Performs “Stay With Me” From Upcoming Album

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.

New Music from Ryan Adams and The Jayhawks

Ryan Adams: Invisible Riverside

New Ryan Adams Song: “Lucky Now”

Song of the Day: “The Weekend” by David Rawlings Machine

Caitlin Cary After Whiskeytown

Ryan Adams Covers Foo Fighters’ “Times Like These”

(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

Springsteen and Hansard “Drive All Night”

In the various E Street Band live versions of Bruce Springsteen singing “Drive All Night,” I have always felt that Springsteen cannot capture the loneliness and angst of the original recording on The River (1980). As the next-to-last song on side four of the two-album set, “Drive All Night” brings together all of the sadness of the album, reminding the listener (along with the underrated final song “Wreck on the Highway“) that the only hope of surviving the despair is with love, even if there is no guarantee that it will do anything more than make a moment better.

The best place to listen to “Drive All Night” is to put the song on the stereo in a dark room while you think about everything you have ever lost. By contrast, a live full-band version cannot capture that feeling because a Springsteen concert is a celebration of community with a large crowd and the E Street Band backing up the singer. But when Glen Hansard sings his version of “Drive All Night” live, he comes close to the feeling of the original recording.

Singer-songwriter (and sometimes movie actor) Glen Hansard has a voice made for evoking sadness and pain. There are great versions of Hansard covering “Drive All Night” by himself. As the title track for a 2013 EP, Hansard recorded his own version of “Drive All Night” with Eddie Vedder helping on vocals and E Street Band member Jake Clemons playing saxophone. Check it out.

Springsteen must have recognized Hansard’s skill with the song, as he invited him to sing the song with him in July 2013 when Springsteen played in Kilkenny, Ireland. When Hansard begins singing, Springsteen has a look on his face like, “This guy gets this song.” Check it out.

But my favorite Hansard version is where he sings alone with a guitar with a little help from Once co-star and former Swell Season bandmate, Marketa Irglova. The two have voices that blend perfectly, and the fact that the two are former lovers adds another layer of poignency to the performance. Check it out.