Album Review: Joey + Rory – Album Number Two

Purchased on ITunes the other night and haven’t quite made it all the way through yet, but really enjoying what I’m hearing so far. The harmonies are deliciously intertwined so as to appear as one fantastic voice.

Glad to hear “This Song’s For You” isn’t indicative of the rest of the disc!!

This is a very enjoyable album. I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite among all these tunes. Nice review too – it included many good points about Joey + Rory’s musical direction. It would be good to see them branch out further when it comes time to record Album Number Three.

Thomas,

Waynoe thinks that all duos should be at or near 50/50 vocal contributions.

If the duo has contributions in other ways (like songwriting/guitar playing/producing etc) then they’re a duo in my book because if we were to ascribe to Waynoe’s thinking almost any band that doesn’t have EACH member sing on a track should just be renamed “Lead Singer Band” or something.

I like what Leeann has to say here, both about the way that Carl’s contribution is highlighted, and about the notion that there’s something wrong or necessarily boring about staying in a good, productive, satisfying groove (though that doesn’t mean I agree with her about Like Red On A Rose in particular ;-)).

I knew I was gonna love this album, but I personally think its even better than their debut one. Wasn’t necessarily expecting that, but it was def. a good thing. =)

Joey’s solo album and “The Life Of A Song” weren’t all that different, so they’ve obviously found their natural groove and style. Two albums of that similar nature are enough for me as far as Joey+Rory go.

As much as I like Carl Jackson I think using Keith Stegall as producer next go round would change the sound enough to attract my attention. The approach Keith took on The Wright’s debut “Down This Road” would be a welcome change of pace. In fact maybe Joey+Rory should get together with The Wrights and do a sort of Little Big Town kind of thing….

Also, I think a collective of country bloggers ought to throw a “let’s sit around listening to the Louvin Bros tribute album and talk about how great it is a lot” party.

Half-kidding.

PS. If people like Jackson’s production, Alecia Nugent’s latest album is produced by him and it’s somewhat similar to J+R’s sound (as they pointed out in my old interview with them).

“Also, I think a collective of country bloggers ought to throw a “let’s sit around listening to the Louvin Bros tribute album and talk about how great it is a lot” party.”

I’d totally go for that!

Matt,

You are incorrect in your elementary assertions. I never said duos should split 50/50 nor have I said they should share lead vocals. I DO think that you should be able to tell a duo by listening. Not just one voice and background singers. That’s a solo act.

Just because one contributes by playing an instrument or producing does not make a duo. If that were the case, most solo acts would have to be re-characterized as duos.

Leeann
I agree that, if an artist is great (like George Strait, just my opinion), then they can change relatively little and still have the same appeal. That they haven’t altered their sound is not in itself an indication of quality or lack thereof.

But, mostly, I think artists benefit from change. Dwight Yoakam is someone who has experimented during his career with, I think, great results (I am mainly thinking of what is probably the most obvious example, ‘This Time’). And I adore ‘Like Red on a Rose.’ It is easily my favorite Alan Jackson album of recent memory.

I also give major props to any artist who makes an artistic decision despite the risk of audience backlash.

Ben, Sugar Hill is not a label that normally plays in the Top 40 mainstream country sandbox, so whether Joey+Rory chart on AirHead Country Radio or not with their singles would not discourage an album release. Sugar Hill looks for artists that have a big enough fan base (or the potential to build one) to make them economically viable on a more moderate scale as in say the Americana realm. I doubt Sugar Hill incurs production costs of tens of thousands of dollars per album the way the Nashville major labels used to in the good old days…

I miss unquestionable vocal duos of the Conway-Loretta, George and Tammy, or for that matter, Louvin or Delmore Brothers varieties, myself. Love those sounds.

But there’s also no question but that there’s a long tradition of country duo acts always presented and marketed as such where there was one singer and one instrumentalist. 40s Opry stars Texas Ruby and Curly Fox were that sort of act, or the country pop of Les Paul and Mary Ford in the 50s. Nobody said, “Gee, wish Les would sing more”–with that tone he brought to the guitar and the records’ production being so distinctive. Or doubted that it wuz a duo. Just a different kind of duo.

It is the #9 selling country album for the week!

Jon: “It’s ok to dislike an act, not so ok to claim a reason for that dislike that’s transparently bogus.”

Me: I may be missing some running battle from another post, but did someone say they don’t like an act for a transparently bogus reason? And is it even possible to be “transparently bogus” when it comes down to the subjective judgment about what, or why, anyone likes something.