NEW ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Eric Paslay

By Bob Doerschuk

© 2014 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.

Eric Paslay’s story is familiar, from his upbringing in Waco and Temple through his gigs on the Lone Star circuit and inevitable move to Nashville.

Eventually hired by Cal IV Publishing, the tall Texas redhead penned several hits. He won CMA’s coveted Triple Play Award for writing or co-writing three songs that hit No. 1 in 2012: “Angel Eyes,” “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” and “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” which also was honored as ASCAP’s Country Song of the Year. Impressive, but not unique … yet.

The epiphany comes with his self-titled inaugural album, released Feb. 4 on EMI Records Nashville. Produced by Marshall Altman and Daniel Hill/Billy Lynn, its 11 tracks reflect the strength of this young artist’s work. Compositionally, he cultivates simplicity. Many of his verses cycle just three or even two chords. “Country Side of Heaven” (Paslay, Dylan Altman and Shane McAnally) hangs entirely on the I and V. But on that track, Paslay’s organic dynamics, his inspiring vocals and especially his ability to conjure compelling images enrich both his sound and his story.

Though all his songs are beautifully crafted, one may qualify as a masterpiece. Caressed by a sensitive arrangement, Paslay’s aching vocal and evocative lyrics on “She Don’t Love You” (Paslay and Jennifer Wayne) build on the title (“… she’s just lonely”) to cast a spell that doesn’t resolve until literally the last word. This is supreme writing and execution, by any measure.

For more on Eric Paslay, visit www.CMACloseUp.com.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

DREAM DUET PARTNER

“I’ve had the wild fortune of singing with some awesome icons so far (Sheryl Crow, Amy Grant). I’d love to sing with Dolly, Emmylou and Bono … the list could keep growing!”

BOOK ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND

“The Bible.” 

ALBUMS IN YOUR PLAYLIST

“U2’s Greatest Hits, Kenny Rogers’ You Can’t Make Old Friends, Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto and Emmylou Harris’s Wrecking Ball.”

SONG YOU WISH YOU’D WRITTEN

“‘What a Wonderful World.’”

MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE YOU’D LIKE TO RELIVE

“Christmas with my whole family as a child.”

FAVORITE FOOD ON THE ROAD

“Catering, because it’s free!”

FAVORITE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION

“Teleportation.”

On the Web: www.EricPaslay.com

On Twitter: @EricPaslay

NEW ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Florida Georgia Line

By Bob Doerschuk

© 2012 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.

You don’t need to know that Tyler Hubbard comes from Monroe, Ga., or that his partner in Florida Georgia Line, Brian Kelley, comes from Ormond Beach, Fla. It’s the music that lets you know these two guys know how to kick it in the studio and onstage, Dixie style.

Scheduled to release Dec. 4 on the Republic Nashville imprint, Here’s to the Good Times is a pastiche of prickling banjo, walloping backbeats and muscle guitar, run through a blender of Country, Southern rock and a hint of hip-hop.

Hubbard and Kelley coast over these grooves with upbeat vocals that pound their good-time message home. Every measure of their first single, “Cruise,” suggests head-bobbing and arm-waving. Written by Hubbard, Kelley, their producer Joey Moi, Chase Rice and Jesse Rice, it opens with a harmonized vocal figure, which pops with the first of several lyric hooks that made this one of the catchiest summer anthems of the year. (The “Chevy with a lift-kit” lick midway through the chorus is a lethally infectious secondary sing-along line.)

This first single from Here’s to the Good Times pretty much defines Florida Georgia Line’s party-hard feel. Even their song titles beckon listeners to join in on the fun: “Get Your Shine On” (Rodney Clawson, Kelley, Hubbard and Chris Tompkins) builds through a melodic fragment that rises, step by step, into another ear-worm chorus, this one at a steady medium tempo. “Tip It Back” (Clawson, Hubbard and Kelley) applies those three words to ball caps, long-necks and the seats in “your girlfriend’s Cadillac.” With their smiling, deep-drawl delivery and relentlessly upbeat outlook, who could resist invitations like these?

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

MUSICAL HERO
KELLEY: “Garth Brooks.” HUBBARD: “Lil Wayne.”

BOOK ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND
BOTH: “Bible.”

SONG YOU SING IN THE SHOWER
HUBBARD: “Whatever vocal my producer Joey Moi is making me practice.”

LUCKY CHARM
KELLEY: “It’s not a lucky charm, but I wear a necklace my dad gave me when we signed our deal. I never take if off.”

MOMENT YOU’D LOVE TO RELIVE
BOTH: “The last year of our lives. It has been unreal.”

TITLE OF YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY
BOTH: “Enjoy the Ride.”

On the Web: FloridaGeorgiaLine.com

On Twitter: @FlaGaLine

NEW ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: 
Bill Gentry

By Bob Doerschuk
© 2012 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.
Rather than flow in one direction, similar to a storyline in a single song, Bill Gentry’s life has veered in a dozen directions. The son of a minister who died when he was 2, Gentry won the state 4-H performance contest, got kicked out of his high school band, was kidnapped along with two of his colleagues in a rock band, served as president of his junior college class, ran for city council, launched a successful data-compiling company, interned for Sen. Sam Nunn in Washington, was lovingly told by his sister that she never wants to sing with him again and most recently founded and ran Wild Bill’s, the huge and successful Country venue near Atlanta.
In that last incarnation, Gentry booked many of the biggest acts in the business. Though he’d never really stopped playing, being witness to great shows night after night rekindled Gentry’s determination to aim for his own place in the spotlight too.
He does so on his single, “Hell and Half of Georgia.” Written by Doug Johnson and Tim James, released on Oct. 22, its laid-back soulful groove, simmering gospel feel (think: “People Get Ready,” especially on the verses, with guitar licks borrowed from Tony Joe White) and images of paying dues as a musician suggest a deeply personal connection to Gentry’s life. And his singing, yearning with sweet pain, makes that suggestion beyond doubt.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
DREAM DUET PARTNER
“Dolly.”
FAVORITE FOOD ON THE ROAD
“Waffle House.”
WHAT YOU’D BE IF NOT AN ARTIST
“Governor of Georgia.”
MOMENT YOU’D LIKE TO RELIVE
“The opening night of Wild Bill’s – there were 5,000 people there!”
FIRST GIG
“My fifth-grade talent show. I took second place. Dang baton twirler!”
SOMETHING WE’D NEVER GUESS ABOUT YOU
“I am a clean freak.”
On the Web: BillGentryNation.com
On Twitter: @BillGentry