I'd be interested to hear a discussion on Robert Earl's newest song. I'm a huge REK fan, so I like it, but some of my friends find it retarded/weird/stupid/etc.

The background singers and the music give it an almost haunting feel, sort of like Feeling Good Again.

Robert Earl's songwriting and use of the English language is very underrated, IMHO, especially outside of Texas. You're not going to find another singer, Texas Country or otherwise that has put together a song catalog like his.

--The Road Goes On Forever: even though that's not one of best songwriting efforts, it still deserves mention for its timelessness
--Gringo Honeymoon and Feeling Good Again: probably my favorites
--Sonora's Death Row: his most underrated
--The Front Porch Song: enough said

Then you've got Merry Christmas From the Family, Passin' By, Tom Ames' Prayer, Wild Wind, Corpus Christi Bay, Hall of Fame, What I Really Mean, The Buckin' Song (alliteration doesn't come any better than that), the list goes on and on.

not to be nit pickey....but i believe steve earle wore Tom Ames' Prayer

'a border tragedy' is another great song from his newest album.

and i agree that his command of the english language is outstanding. he's by far my favorite singer/songwriter/musician.

here are a few of my favorites. amarillo highway, furnace fan, the armadillo jackal, swervin in my lane, young lovers waltz. most of my favorite songs are not the ones played on the radio.

You're probably right Diggity.

I knew I'd screw up and there'd be one of those songs that he didn't write. But I was too lazy to hunt all the songwriters down.

what album is "the great hank" song on?

And Tom Russell wrote Sonoras Death Row.

unfortunately REK didn't write Sonora's Death Row

I thought Kevin Farrell wrote it?

Although nobody will do a better version of it than REK

I didn't like the Great Hank when I heard it at a show



[This message has been edited by Phoenix9 (edited 11/16/2005 8:38a).]

[This message has been edited by Phoenix9 (edited 11/16/2005 8:41a).]

I was wrong, too.

According to Tom Russell's website, Sonora's Death Row was written by Kevin "Blackie" Farrell.

Terry Allen wrote Amarillo Highway.

For some reason whenever I hear the Great Hank Williams I feel all trippy. But I do like the song, it has a lot of REK personality in it.

"For Love" off of "What I Really Mean" is one of his better recent songwriting efforts IMHO.

REK is an acquired taste. Alot of people can't get past his voice and listen to the lyrics. Also, he's now unfortunately getting lumped in with the rest of the no-talent Texas music performers.

Car96, to answer your question, The Great Hank is his newest release off of the new "What I Really Mean" album.


Drivinwest, you hit the nail on the head. Most folks either love REK or detest him for his singing ability. I just feel like his music is "real". There's no lip-synching or digital enhancement of his voice.

If you listen to the CMAs, Grammys, or any other live performance, many Nashville and pop singers sound mediocre when not in the studio. Robert Earl's No. 2 Live Dinner, on the other hand, is better than some of his studio albums, and sets the standard for live albums, IMHO.

One of my friends said it best the other day that "people love Robert Earl because he gives hope to everyone that they might have a chance of making it as a singer." Whether he wrote the song or not, he can spin a yarn better than most anyone in the music business. In Texas Country, I classify it as "Robert Earl" and "everyone else."

Someone needs to tell REK to cut another live CD.

Lonely Feeling (on Gringo Honeymoon) is one of his best songs.

REK is far and away my favorite singer bar none. I hate his studio tracks though. I only listen to his live album and other live tracks I have gotten my hands on. The man just needs to record nothing but live albums.

As for the rest of "Country" music goes, when an Aussie wins Best Male Artist over 2 greats and a very good younger artist with "future hall of fame" potential and who actually play country music there is something wrong. Last night I watched that CMA show with the wife (as much of it as I could stomach) and I could count on 1 hand the number of "artists" that I recognized. Country has become so crappy adult contemporary pop it makes me sick. Hank, Cash, Waylon, Wells, ... are rolling in their graves.


AgDog
Hell Bent Canine
All or None
FIDO

When I first heard "The Great Hank" and "Border Tragedy" on his new CD, I thought, WTF is this crap! I now love both of those songs.... up here in Dallas, they were playing "The Great Hank" on 95.3 The Range the other day. After the song, the DJ said that REK's College Station education was getting to him.... kind of funny actually!

REK has to have a weird song or two on his CD's... otherwise, he wouldn't be REK!

If you like REK, I recommend James McMurtry (son of author Larry McMurtry). In fact, REK has covered a couple of his songs ("Levelland" and "Out Here in the Middle" ).

As a songwriter, I'd put him up there with REK. They both have a knack at telling fascinating stories through song. His problem is he lacks any Road Goes on Forever/Gringo Honeymoon style "party" songs, so noone really knows his music.

Another guy you might want to try out is Adam Carroll, although he doesn't have as much material out as McMurtry.

[This message has been edited by Bob Swerski (edited 11/16/2005 1:39p).]

Adam Carroll's songwriting is great. He still seems pretty nervous performing, and he stumbles through the between song stories, but great music.

One of my favorite REK songs from a lyrical POV is Paint the Town Beige.

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REK is far and away my favorite singer bar none. I hate his studio tracks though. I only listen to his live album and other live tracks I have gotten my hands on. The man just needs to record nothing but live albums.

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REK is an acquired taste. Alot of people can't get past his voice and listen to the lyrics. Also, he's now unfortunately getting lumped in with the rest of the no-talent Texas music performers.

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This in my opinion is the problem that REK brought upon himself - his live shows are excellent!, but only provide fuel for much of the other comments in this thread when the beer swilling frat crowd won't take him seriously as a singer/songwriter.

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When I first heard "The Great Hank" and "Border Tragedy" on his new CD, I thought, WTF is this crap!

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I've thought that on first listen of every REK cd I've ever bought...it's gets better the more you listen.

In my car changer:
REK
Lyle Lovett
Bruce Robison
Charlie Robison
Mark David Manders
Phil Pritchett

good songwriting usually trumps a "great voice" in terms of artistic achievement. but that usually comes at the price of less mainstream success.

just look at Townes Van Zandt. so-so voice, that actually got borderline bad as he got older, yet one of the best songwriters you will find, and a great influence on many of the people listed on this thread (such as REK and Lyle).

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Lonely Feeling (on Gringo Honeymoon) is one of his best songs.

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bingo...that's my favorite of his. unbelievable song.

i love how he sings and performs like he's telling a story. i actually like the sound of his voice and especially how it seems to help convey the message of the song.

James McMurtry is an awesome songwriter...but a weird dude, a very weird dude!

The best songwriters are those who can tell a story and completely flesh it out with the fewest words, a la Feeling Good Again, Lonely Feeling, Levelland (McMurtry's). problem with those songs is it takes a brain to listen to it and your typical country music listener isn't smart enough to want to actually have to "listen" to a song. Rather, they are attracted to the latest catchy musical hook or phrase like the piss-poor $#!+ that Toby Keith, Big & Rich and Kenny Chesney put out and that they can blast from the speakers of their Toyota pick-up truck that has the AINT SKEERED sticker stuck on the back window.

[This message has been edited by fawltytowers (edited 11/20/2005 9:38p).]

i second the adam carroll recommendation. i really enjoy his songs. especially since i'm from tyler too and i recognize several places he sings about.

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The best songwriters are those who can tell a story and completely flesh it out with the fewest words, a la Feeling Good Again, Lonely Feeling, Levelland (McMurtry's). problem with those songs is it takes a brain to listen to it and your typical country music listener isn't smart enough to want to actually have to "listen" to a song. Rather, they are attracted to the latest catchy musical hook or phrase like the piss-poor $#!+ that Toby Keith, Big & Rich and Kenny Chesney put out and that they can blast from the speakers of their Toyota pick-up truck that has the AINT SKEERED sticker stuck on the back window.

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Agreed, after living in Nashville for 3 years, unless you can make up a line dance for it, the masses don't want to hear it...