Jamie Richards Blue Rock Sessions
Country artist Jamie Richards, who now calls Texas home, unveils his new long-player, Blue Rock Sessions. He recorded the album at Blue Rock Studios in Wimberly, Texas, with producer Josh Rodgers and recording engineer Tommy Detamore.
The players are Milo Deering on acoustic guitar and fiddle, Bryce Clarke on electric guitar, Brian Piper on organ, Tommy Detamore on steel guitar, and Aden Bubeck on bass. Josh Rodgers plays drums, percussion, and cowbell, while Trey Keller adds backing vocals. Erik Herbst did the mixing, and Bart Rose mastered the record.
Richards was raised on an Oklahoma dairy farm. His mother helped spark his interest in music: she played gospel tunes at the piano, and he joined in singing. He went on to write his own music and lead a band that played honky-tonks around Oklahoma.
His path took him to Nashville, where Capitol Records and RCA signed him to development deals. He later wrote songs for Curb Records as a staff writer. Artists who recorded his work include Cody Jinks, Hal Ketchum (“That’s What You Get for Loving Me”), Ken Mellons (“Believe”), and Kevin Fowler (“Loose, Loud and Crazy”).
Meanwhile, Wes Daily was rebuilding Houston’s D Records, the first label to record George Jones. D Records put out Richards’s first album, No Regrets, in 2002. Two songs from that record reached the top ten on the Texas Regional Radio chart.
Richards settled in Texas in 2005. Since that move, he has released eight albums and landed dozens of songs on the Texas Regional Radio chart, including thirteen number-one hits. “Second Hand Smoke” earned Song of the Year in 2016. In 2018, “One Tequila” appeared in Zoe, a film starring Ewan McGregor and Lea Seydoux.
Outstanding tracks on the album include “Everyday,” a bouncy, feel-good country tune reminiscent of George Strait. Highlighted by Richards’ easy-to-listen-to voice and dazzling guitar accents, this song hits all the right notes.
Richards sings “Somewhere In The Middle” with a warmth that again brings George Strait to mind, though his delivery feels even smoother. His full, soft tone suits the words, while the steady, moderate beat gives the song a relaxed sway. The gentle melody and lingering steel guitar make this a personal favorite.
A heartbreak song, “A Better Rain,” finds Richards revealing just how velvety and tender his voice is: gilded, nuanced tones travel on creamy surfaces. The melody is graceful and beautifully elegant.
The slow two-step sway of “Between You and Me” accompanies sad lyrics narrating a tale of unrequited love: “Between you and me / I’m beginning to see / I’m playing a game I can’t win … Between you and me / Is him.”
V.I.P. in this BAR shifts the album to a grand, driving country song rife with a furious fiddle, sparkling piano, and a contagious rhythm. Delicious lyrics imbue the tune with vibrant, playful energy: “Would you look at me / I’m a honky-tonk superstar.”
Underscored by a haunting, crying steel guitar, “Waiting On A Train” uncovers the relentless ache of a heart broken by a lover who walked out. Whereas “I Don’t Want To Talk About Tulsa” unwraps a similar theme of despondency, only atop a tasty honky-tonk melody.
Stylishly traditional and winningly direct, on Blue Rock Sessions, Jamie Richards offers listeners a remarkably genuine album.
Discover more about Jamie Richards here.