When you think about country music what do you think of? Is it "old" country music with personalities like Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and Patsy Cline? Or do you think of the "new" stars of the genre like Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton and Tim McGraw? Do you think that the only people in country music are from Nashville or the "Deep South" and are only Americans? Do you just assume that the music is without depth or substance? There is an artist out there today that might just change any negative thoughts you have about an entire genre that hearkens back to the days of old, with the edge of today's artists and so much more. Who is it you ask? Well...
When I started working in Country radio I confess I knew little beyond those "legends" of the genre that my parents listened to. I knew the music of Johnny Cash, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Glen Campbell etc., but I was not a fan - except for Johnny Cash, how could you NOT be a fan of Johnny Cash - but when it came to country music beyond the mid '80's I knew little other than their faces. I'm a rock guy, hardcore punk and heavy metal specifically and to be honest it was always hard NOT to be a country music fan, I was born and raised in the rural Midwest but I never was much of a fan.
I think as we grow up and we get exposure to all types of different aspects of life we pick up little bits and pieces along the way and that is no exception within our musical tastes. I can name probably a dozen songs right now that aren't of my music preferences that would make you scratch your head as to why I like that song but I would venture a guess that you too have your own. We have all been to weddings where we are exposed to other music that we seemingly hum for a few days after, or hear in a bar that we end up tapping our toes to for an unexplained reason. Those very songs make it into our psyches and invariably our playlists at times as guilty pleasures but also as blindside hits to our friends and families.
I had those artists that I knew and love(d) that filled my playlists but they were relatively sparse from the genre of country music. When I started in country radio I was behind the eight-ball if you will because I knew so little about today's artists. As with anything in our professional careers you simply must learn as much as you can because you cannot grow in that career if you don't. As I started hearing the artists I was playing I began listening to the rest of their bodies of work just to get to know them and it better. As I grow within the format I have really started to appreciate some of the greats even more and I have been blown away by the quality of some of the young artists that are starting their own paths.
When I started playing the music of Heidi Raye I was instantly intrigued because she really began to elicit many questions that forced me to focus on her and her music much closer. I learned that Raye lives in home of country music - Nashville - but is Canadian. I learned that she has a degree in nursing and that she is managed by the same person that manages country music legend George Strait. I also discovered that Raye has written over 200 songs with some of the finest in country music and that she had released a few of EP's so I made an effort to get a couple.
When I got the EP's - Hot Mess Express and Worth A Shot - I had heard only the single Worth A Shot which is the title track to that EP BUT I decided to start listening to the EP Raye released previous to it, Hot Mess Express if only to see where and how she started.
Within the first three or four seconds of the title track Hot Mess Express I was taken back into country music history. Initially the music reminds me of those days of my early country music experiences. It was a "poppy" beat, replete with steel guitar but a catchy beat that caught me and then as Raye began her vocal I immediately realized that the voice I heard was exactly what I expect from the stars of then and now. Raye has a vocal quality that could shine in ANY genre, I could see her with a hit on any Top 40 station and at the same time her voice is prototypically country. Seriously her voice is extraordinary. The song itself is exuberant and seems to be a cautionary tale of "exes," and what happens when they go back to that one crazy "ex." It's brilliant.
As I listened to B.Y.O.T., the second track on Hot Mess Express I was caught by those days gone by within country music with references to a truck (Bring Your Own TRUCK) and I found myself smiling. It's a smile inducing song after all, reminiscent of the "field parties" we used to have as kids, and this is one of those songs you will hum for days after hearing it. The lyrics are amusing and it will indeed put a smile on your face.
I remember with some semblance of happiness a song from the "Vision Quest" soundtrack from my youth by Madonna called "Crazy For You" and as the third track of the EP started up I was taken back in a sense. For some reason the song "Crazy 'Bout You" transported me back to the Matthew Modine classic film if only for a moment. I would assume it was because of the similarity of the two song titles but on some level I think the two touched me on a similar level. Crazy 'Bout You is a slower song than the previous two and it is more about two people in that sweet part of a relationship (unlike Hot Mess Express). This is a song where "she" is professing her feelings for her "other half." It's a sweet song, almost emoting young love and the promise before them. This is my favorite song on the EP.
Inside every relationship is the dark side of sorrow and disappointment and the song Just In Case reflects that side. This song reflects how bad a relationship can be, how hurtful and how crushing to one inside of the relationship it can become. It shows the final stages of sadness and heartbreak and will make you sit back and reflect on those powerful lyrics. This song should come with a warning label because it is potent. It's mournful and extremely heartfelt which is reflective in the music itself and the tone of Raye's lyrics. I hate to label any song a "breakup song" but this is as close to that label as I can ever imagine. This song will make you take note and listen again and again. In Raye's entire catalog of music I don't think there could be a more poignant and introspective song.
The previous two songs - Crazy 'Bout You and Just In Case - are great relationship songs albeit 180 degrees from each other in the spectrum of relationship status but then there is the song Sleep At Night. Sleep At Night shows another part of a relationship that is even darker than a painful breakup, it shows the victim of domestic abuse. It explains the abuse and the only point of recourse in the opinion of the one being abused - it being her defense against her abuser. Much like the '80's movie "Burning Bed" the storyteller in this song ends the abuse and the life of that abuser. It's an extremely powerful song that explains the story of her nightmare and the sense of relief that she experiences after she knows she will not be harmed further by that individual. This is a song where you feel yourself understanding, supporting and agreeing with the victim as it is so impactful and intense.
Inside all of us is a need to heal emotionally for something in our lives, and seemingly the catalyst for healing is a failed relationship. Within the lyrics of End Of The Day we can feel a personal cry to start self-healing after what feels like a serious heartbreak. We feel the self-affirmations that we need to experience to show ourselves that we are worthy of happiness and how to start doing so. Inside the lyrics "the ones who broke my heart won't get my tears anymore, they never did deserve me any way, if someone makes you cry then they aren't worth your time" is the reaffirmation of self worth and the healing process. This song shows Raye's depth and strength in vivid tones.
The EP Hot Mess Express is a compelling release across the board but the final track Good Either Way may indeed be the pinnacle. I really think that this track is the culmination of what happens after the healing process I described happening in the previous track End Of The Day yet it shows a certain amount of trepidation and sadness that remains. Raye affirms "I may be bruised but I'm not shattered so I think I'll leave you in that bed you've made. You can sink or watch me swim, you can lose or I can win I'm good either way" and that to me sounds like a person that is now at peace, she has found that inner strength. It really is a great song and it is thought provoking. This song shows the power in Raye's songwriting and her heartfelt emotions she calls upon in her craft.
I really appreciate the depth of Hot Mess Express. It tackles subject matter that major stars won't do but it showcases the artist that is Heidi Raye. This release shows the soul of the performer and it is appreciated for its candor and serious subjects while remaining entertaining and making you interested in hearing each track with anticipation. If you like country music this is definitely a CD that you need to add to your collection immediately.
WORTH A SHOT
There is much to be said about a songwriter that can take such a powerful piece of music like that of the EP Hot Mess Express and can then make you smile with another album release. After I listened to the previous EP I was really excited to put the 2017 release Worth A Shot by Heidi Raye in my CD player to see what she would bring to the table. I have heard one of the songs - the single Worth A Shot - as I play it often on the air but I had no idea what kind of menagerie may lay in front of me on the entire CD. The release itself is home to only five songs but these five songs are outstanding!
The first thing that was immediately noticeable with the first song on the EP was its immediate commercial quality. The song Junkyard is a humorous song, almost highlighting a typical "player" that is getting just a little old and dated for his own good. It questions the "player" asking them if (they) "have done hard time, got a couple kids on the way, is there a woman out there wearin' your Grandma's ring, do you have a habit that you can't kick" it reminds me of those among us that will never really mature or grow up because they simply can't and they will be stuck like that for all eternity. Raye is almost taunting the "player" asking them what they have in the junkyard that is their life, their past. This song will put a smile on your face, unless you self-identify with the subject that is. Its a real jewel on the EP!
Inside the lyrics of Down Home we see a self-reflective person that wants the simple parts of life, a big dog, a tire swing, just enjoying life without complication. This is what I expect from a country performer, it's a heartfelt message with a very simple, peaceful message and it is welcomed! The song is so well written and powerful in its simplicity. It takes life into perspective and makes you really think about what really is important. Incredible, just incredible! Please, please, please release this song as a single it is amazing!
Inasmuch as I described the song Junkyard as a song about a "player" I believe that Track 3 of this release - Boys Are Stupid - is about what happens when you actually date one. This song has such a bluster about the stupidity of men that really think they are the greatest thing in the history of the world, you know generally everyone of us. Okay I'm kidding but it does show what a guy that thinks he is the greatest thing ever really is like. I hearken back to the movie "Sixteen Candles" and the infamous "oily bohunk" that Molly Ringwald's movie dad described. I suppose it could be inferred that such a person would be a player or a long-term booty call, complete with another girlfriend and the attitude that follows them. Raye describes a couple of these types with hilarious detail so accurately I actually saw the faces of some guys I know that are exactly like this. Ladies this really is a cautionary tale of the male persuasion I hate to admit but it will make you smile and you will probably sing the chorus for the remainder of your life when you encounter any man that fits the description. Perfect on so many levels is this song!
What happens when we breakup with a significant other, or spouse? What happens if we breakup with that person and there is not a "clean" or amicable break and the other person wants to act like everything is perfectly fine and you can still be friends? Raye presents the answers to those questions within the lyrics of We Ain't Friends, a powerhouse of a song that shows pain after a breakup. It represents the emotions we experience of self doubt if you will whereby you can't understand how this person who professed love for you is now seemingly flippantly wanting to just end everything and thinks its possible to just "be friends." This is the raw emotion we see when we are hit in the gut with that horrible feeling of separation or finality of a breakup.
Raye responds to the question of "can we just be friends" by hitting back with "friends don't stay up all night long makin' out in each others arms, fall asleep against your chest, they don't hold you like they won't let go and tell you that you're beautiful, all the things that you once did and we ain't friends." That is what a person that has just been crushed would say and much like a haymaker to the chin it would be devastating to hear. It is pure sorrow and pain congealed into one massive nightmare for anyone to experience, the betrayal of feelings and almost ineptitude of realizing that the person you want to remain "friends" with had such powerful feelings that you couldn't comprehend them on any rational level. This is the ultimate breakup song, it is truly mind-numbing with the emotions Raye exudes and despite the somber tone and crushing message it is simply the best song on the EP without question.
Within the final track of the EP, the title track Worth A Shot is a necessity after the powerful message in the previous track. Inside Worth A Shot lies an answer to forgetting that bad relationship that really feels like wasn't much more than a passing thing. It makes you see the relief that something that really wasn't much of a relationship is over but does require some type of release and Raye quips "I doubt that whiskey is the answer, but its worth a shot... Or two or three, I guess we'll just have to see." I think we have all been at that point at some time in our lives where you are just happy its over and done, so washing away that bad taste in your mouth of that relationship can only be accomplished with a stiff drink and then by moving on. This is definitely a song that shows just that and shows the sincere joy about doing so. It is truly a song that will make you feel good and elicit a smile from your face, I love it!
Five simple songs make up the EP Worth A Shot, just five songs but each song is so different it takes you across every emotion with little effort. This EP is exciting and it will make you smile, it will make you laugh but it will also stretch your heartstrings to epic proportions and it may even make you somewhat introspective. I am beyond impressed by this release, it is extraordinary and it will guide you to an emotional roller-coaster that will seriously make you want to listen to it over and over. Do yourself a favor and buy this album it is simply one of the best of the year across any and all genres.
Over the smattering of words that appear before you I talked about two releases by Heidi Raye, a young up and coming country artist and I realized something. I realized that inside the notes that I listened to, the lyrics I digested and the electricity that I felt from them is not something one can feel without reason or recourse. These two EP's Hot Mess Express and Worth A Shot are worthy of the praise and success of any album by any country music superstar today. Each has its own feel to it and its own individuality that shapes what the listener is hearing but there is an unmistakable tone to each song that every ear can identify with. There is a level of intelligence that Raye puts forth into her music that is unquestionable and unparalleled by her contemporaries. Raye has talent that will blow your mind and several songs that will force you to interact with yourself on an emotional level that is indeed special.
I am simply stunned by these releases and I highly recommend that you see for yourself how good this new country star really is. You can visit her website for more information or her music, tour and merchandise at https://www.heidiraye.com/. An upcoming interview with Heidi Raye will be here very soon! I am excited to give you the opportunity to see and hear a little more from Heidi Raye soon so check back often!
Great job Heidi and I cannot wait to see what awaits you in what will be a long country music career!
#heidiraye #heidirayemusic
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