EP Review: The Wrights – The Wrights

With one album to their name, the husband and wife duo consisting of Adam and Shannon Wright recently released a followup EP simply titled The Wrights on a label (ACR) owned by Adam’s uncle, Alan Jackson. It was music that brought the couple together over ten years ago and lead to love and now it’s love that inspires the music.

A couple yearn for the time when their relationship had seen better days, and in reflection, they wish they could go back in the opening track, “Rewind.” The song features the alluring vocals of Shannon and the longing in her voice is evident every time she stretches out the title and sings “Reeeeeewind” while Adam sings backup harmony.

The following song, “Do You Still,” is the first of five on which the couple share songwriting credits. In the song, they seek affirmation from each other that they are still in love after being married for some time. The remarkably reserved vocals and production that highlight the songwriting, rather than outshine it, and along with the harmonies of the husband and wife, these attributes come to characterize the album and are–in part–due to the genius of Keith Steagall, who produced the first six tracks.

“Planting Flowers” finds a couple in an emotionally empty relationship devoid of communication. It’s one of the more brilliant tracks and truly shows off the songwriting prowess of The Wrights. Too often, a dying love is cause for a vindicative lover or an internal awakening of determination, but Shannon and Adam explore the frustrations of cultivating a relationship that is no longer emotionally rewarding, likening it to “planting flowers on a gravel road.” Written by Alan Jackson and Roger Murrah, “True Love” was accidentally discovered while choosing songs to include on the EP, and thank goodness it was. “True Love” is a refreshing look at exactly what the title suggests and ignores the immature misconceptions of love that are so often thrown about in popular culture and country music today.

Paul Kennerley is the fourth person to leave a prominent imprint on this EP. He co-wrote “A Love Like That,” “You’re The Kind Of Trouble,” and “You Were Made For Me” with the Wrights and he produced the latter two, which also close out the album. “You Were Made For Me” seems to be the only blemish, albeit a small one, on a fine album. The lyrics are a little lighter than featured elsewhere, but even so, the couple still manage to exhibit a cool confidence and faithfulness in their relationship in which jealousy doesn’t play a role; they know that they were made for each other and nothing can come between them.

The Wrights’ self-titled EP is a splendid and refreshing album with a focus on mature songwriting that doesn’t resort to banal love cliches. It’s a fine example of what country music can and should be. My one complaint is that it had to end after only eight songs.