11/1 Aaron Tippen “Wanna Play” This is a special project release by Aaron Tippen in conjunction with James Stroud
with Special Guest Gov. Mike Huckabee that was released in October fully entitled I Wanna Play!: An Album To Put Musical Instruments Into The Hands Of Every Child In America. The Wanna Play Fund, where procedes from the album go to, stems from a national public awareness campaign called Wanna Play created by NAMM, the trade association of the international music products industry, to educate people of all ages about the many social and wellness benefits of making music. Read more about this project, as well as what brought Aaron Tippen to it Here.
11/2 Josh Thompson “Won’t Be Lonely Long” It’s a pure optimist’s set up. This song starts like it will be a “Tear in My Beer” classic. But by the first chorus, it becomes an up tempo hell-raiser about being dumped as the gateway to a great Friday night. Looking beyond the hurt, even as a temporary fix. Honesty seems to be the main quality of Josh’s album Way Out There. He is an artist whose songwriting reflects both the gritty realities of blue-collar life and the beer-fueled release of the Friday-night honky-tonk. This is perfectly evident in the combination of having a publishing deal on one end, and pouring concrete as a 7am-5pm job 3 days a week on the other at the same time. Way Out Here, above all, shows His personal journey through the landscape of the people whose love and loss, living and dying have fueled the best of country music. At its core are “who I am” songs that define the salt-of-the-earth characters whose concerns Josh knows and relates so well. And what does Won’t Be Lonely Long suggest? To look ahead to the good times instead of dwelling on the negative past or present. Read more about the honest living, playing, working, and music of Josh Thompson Here.
11/3 Chuck Wicks “Old School” The Song “Stealing Cinderella” made Chuck Wicks a top 5 household name in 2007 and 2008. Since that time, he has continued using the hard working lessons he learned as a Deleware bred youngster on the farm. 2010 into 2011 will bring his debut album “Starting Now” to the masses. As what most good to future classic country songs are, “Old School” is upbeat and who doesn’t love a song about fun past times? Easy to sing along with, especially the little “howl” along tag that will stick in people’s head positively soon, Chuck is just showing more of what he has to offer as a young, up and coming country singer / songwriter that got him signed to RCA Nashville. Feel free to check out the various clips on YouTube of him singing the song live either at a radio station or on stage, and you will see and hear what the buzz is about. Read more about the road that Chuck Wicks took from Deleware to Florida (as a Baseball player) to Nashville and nationwide success Here.
11/4 Crossin Dixon “Goodbye to Henry” If you are from the Southern Delta / Gulf Coast region, you will definitely hear the Central Mississippi roots that Crossing Dixon are based from. “Goodbye to Henry” is a song that is based on another southern tradition – the celebration and aspects towards a friend that recently passed. Immediate visuals come to mind while listening to this song, a la “the thunder of a hundred motorbikes followed him down main street,” or “I don’t think that church had ever heard a word of ‘Midnight Rider’.” Crossin Dixon is a band that can communicate real, raw emotion while still rocking a party like nobody’s business. Their soon to be released follow up to their 2008 self titled album is based upon being “a little bit more edgy” than its predecesor, and this song is a good start. Learn more about the last 8 years of Crossin Dixon Here.
11/5 Lathan Moore “Love in Your Life”Agreeing with what the Press Release states about this song, “…Moore’s “Love In Your Life” (the title cut from his debut CD released in March 2010) encourages the listener to humbly reflect upon the small acts of love in his/her own life and recognize that the wee but powerful action could make even the toughest man cry. Moore’s deep, soulful voice reminds the listener of what “living” truly means. A heart-to-heart story (written by Matt McClure, John Paul Williams and Stan Swinarski), the mid-tempo tune features stellar percussion that takes a back seat only to Lathan’s strong vocals. Much like its message, the lap steel, acoustic guitars and keys appear in minimal form–simplistic yet significant.” Originally from Illinois, Moore has always believed in the simple things. That is what took him on his journey from childhood, to Southern Illinois on a Music Scholarship, to Nashville, where he signed with Blue Steel Records in 2008. Learn more about this 2010 version of the ‘New Traditionalist(s)’ sound Here.
