Joey + Rory = Album
Number Two
Review by:
Cheryl Harvey Hill, Sr. Staff Journalist
8/31/10
The
fact that we don't need last names to recognize the amazing
2010 ACM
Award winners for Top New Vocal
duo speaks volumes about who they are and naming their second
album simply
Album Number Two,
isn't at all pretentious, it is just indicative of their
straight forward attitude about every facet of their lives,
including their music. They are delightfully and sincerely
humble despite their extraordinary success. Joey and Rory are
the most uniquely talented, down-to-earth, madly in love with
each other, duo since Tammy and George.
While the
majority of their fans have come to know them via the popular TV
show
Can You Duet,
I was actually introduced to them years before. I think the
first time I heard
Joey Martin
sing was in 2005 and I was immediately impressed with her
beautiful voice and the way she can musically meter any lyrics
to make them her own. As a volunteer for
The National Day of the
Cowboy Organization
I
was
looking for someone appropriate to be their spokesperson and I
was told by several people that if you were to look up the
definition of “down to earth, genuine, singing cowgirl” in the
dictionary, it might actually say “Joey Martin.” All kidding
aside, Martin is the fabulously beautiful, and incredibly
talented, offspring of a guitar playing father and a gospel
singing mother. Her myspace states that although “she may look
like a supermodel, she works like a cowhand” and I'm happy to
add, she also has the incomparable voice of an angel.
I was
familiar with the quirky, producer, songwriter,
Rory Feek,
who punctuates his uniqueness by seldom wearing anything but
denim overalls. Years before he co-wrote the gut-wrenching
single “How
Do You Get That Lonely”
for
Blaine Larsen,
that made him a household name, I recall often seeing his name
on the liner notes of some of the most popular artists in
country music.
Collin Raye,
Clay Walker,
Kenny Chesney,
Blake Shelton,
Lorrie Morgan
are just a
few that come to mind. Most recently he wrote “A
Little More Country Than That”
which took
Easton Corbin
to the top of the charts.
Album Number Two
kicks off with an autobiographical, tongue-in-cheek, fun, recap
of their duo career to date:
We sold a lot of our
first record / we even had a hit / now the bigwigs back in
Nashville say / we better kick it up a bit / the critics all are
waiting / to see what we will do / much anticipating 'bout album
number two / some say to go more country / some say we should
turn pop / they've all got their opinions / how to take us to
the top / our new image consultant / says we need a fresh hair
do / as if that's going to make or break / album number two /
the critics all are waiting / to see if we come through / so
much contemplating 'bout album number two / now you might think
we're crazy / but is it really all that hard / just cut some
songs that move you / and sing 'em from the heart / but if we
are mistaken / and our career is through / we'll bid our fans a
fine farewell / with album number two / the critics all are
waiting / but its really up to you / we'd sure appreciate it /
if you buy album number two”
After
reading those lyrics, I hope you will be intrigued enough to go
out and purchase this album. The CD I received was a review copy
so it didn't come with liner notes but I'm pretty confident in
predicting that Feek' had a hand in writing a majority, or all,
of the songs on this CD. He is the professor of story songs and
there are twelve of them on
Album Number Two.
Each and every one of them is pleasantly delivered with perfect
pitch and heartwarming vocal harmonies by Joey + Rory.
Feek says, “As a songwriter you have to imagine being somebody
different every time you write a song, but the magic of being an
artist is you get to be you, to write what you want to say and I
have never had the chance to do that before. I’m not sure Joey
ever got to be herself either because there were always teams of
people telling her how to dress, not to sing about this and so
on. There is none of that anymore. We are 100% ourselves here.”
There
isn't a bad song in the bunch so it is impossible to choose a
favorite but I have to say that “Born To Be
Your
Woman” had me sighing out loud and I loved “Where Jesus Is.” The
message is simple and delivered with a very soft touch but it
certainly succeeds in impacting your soul in a most powerful
way. By the way, I would really be amiss if I didn't mention the
instrumentals on the entire album. All of the pickin' was
incredible and the peddle steel was spot on perfection.
“You
Ain't Right” was another track that stood out for me. With
lyrics like, “You
ain't right / at least you're different/ a couple quarts shy and
few screws missin / Bless your heart / look around / We're all
an ounce or two short of a pound,”
had me laughing out loud. But then there's the final cut, “This
Song's For You.” I'm absolutely certain that this song is for
you,
no matter who you are. The duo are joined by the
Zac Brown Band
on this track and it has “hit” written all over it.
Rory's
father was an aspiring singer who dreamed of going to Nashville
but he never took the chance. Rory vowed to make his father’s
dream a reality; I'd say he has exceeded far beyond anything his
father ever imagined.
I could go
on and on but I think their press blurb sums it up perfectly,
“When you see the husband and wife duo
Joey+Rory,
you don’t need to be told that what they have is genuine. Just
listen to their music or listen to them talk and you can tell
that what they have is the real deal…not just as a musical duo,
but as a couple. The deep connection they have doesn’t just
shine through their music, it’s the reason their music shines.”
Sign me up, I'm a fan.
www.joeyandrory.com
www.myspace.com/joeyandrory
