Grady Yates - A Thousand Horses
By:George Peden,
I recently had the good fortune to travel historic Route 66 from end to end;
that’s Chicago to the picture perfect Santa Monica pier. It was a rich
opportunity to not only see the sights but it allowed this Aussie time to listen
to the radio. And believe me, over thousands of miles there’s plenty to hear.
That’s the good news.
The sad news is a lot of American country radio, with its power and prestige
of influence, tends to stay safe. As I listened mile after mile and hour after hour, it became obvious that ten songs and high rotation was my numbing reward.
Sure, there are courageous programmers who tend to sprinkle formats with "classics and icons". Bravos to them. But over three months of road travel, as we slipped from state to American state, it was obvious on many channels that unless you wore a styled hat and had a Colgate smile, well, you didn’t get the spins. Unless you had the profile to win a demographic and generate industry defined sales you were out.
However, rather than rant about the sad plight of country radio, in the backblocks, far from the dictates and demands of sales and awards, musical
troubadours are honing their crafts without the pressure of being the next big thing or having a zillion selling hit. You won’t hear a lot of these guys and gals in the main stream, not that they worry, but it is our loss.
There’s a lot of talent that goes unheard. Singers and songs get lost in the babble, push and thrust of "New Country"; basically sad songs to a formula. But while today’s star blazer sings about love and loss that they’ve never lived or understand, acts like Billy Joe Shaver, Billy Don Burns, Royal Wade Kimes, Chris Wall, Richie Allbright and a legion of others play on.
One of those making noise, quietly, is Texas-based Grady Yates. If your musical taste jumps the borders of mass popularity, listen to Grady’s new album: A Thousand Horses. With a strong presence on his crafted tunes, Grady is a high calibre storyteller. Armed with a host of polished and talented musos, all giving life to his self- penned tunes, the album earns a "must listen" award.
With a heart feel for the personal and legendary, Grady offers 14 tracks of easy-on-the-ear tunes; "Long Road Back To You" is a tale of crime and love, "Sanctuary" tells of a needed special place, while a "Thousand Horses" (with the stellar narration from Brett Dillon) is a sharing of history. But with this album, it would be wrong to single out favoured tracks, because the whole album is memorable and pleasing.
Pity you won’t hear it on your radio.
http://www.gradyyates.com
I recently had the good fortune to travel historic Route 66 from end to end;
that’s Chicago to the picture perfect Santa Monica pier. It was a rich
opportunity to not only see the sights but it allowed this Aussie time to listen
to the radio. And believe me, over thousands of miles there’s plenty to hear.
That’s the good news.
The sad news is a lot of American country radio, with its power and prestige
of influence, tends to stay safe. As I listened mile after mile and hour after hour, it became obvious that ten songs and high rotation was my numbing reward.
Sure, there are courageous programmers who tend to sprinkle formats with "classics and icons". Bravos to them. But over three months of road travel, as we slipped from state to American state, it was obvious on many channels that unless you wore a styled hat and had a Colgate smile, well, you didn’t get the spins. Unless you had the profile to win a demographic and generate industry defined sales you were out.
However, rather than rant about the sad plight of country radio, in the backblocks, far from the dictates and demands of sales and awards, musical
troubadours are honing their crafts without the pressure of being the next big thing or having a zillion selling hit. You won’t hear a lot of these guys and gals in the main stream, not that they worry, but it is our loss.
There’s a lot of talent that goes unheard. Singers and songs get lost in the babble, push and thrust of "New Country"; basically sad songs to a formula. But while today’s star blazer sings about love and loss that they’ve never lived or understand, acts like Billy Joe Shaver, Billy Don Burns, Royal Wade Kimes, Chris Wall, Richie Allbright and a legion of others play on.
One of those making noise, quietly, is Texas-based Grady Yates. If your musical taste jumps the borders of mass popularity, listen to Grady’s new album: A Thousand Horses. With a strong presence on his crafted tunes, Grady is a high calibre storyteller. Armed with a host of polished and talented musos, all giving life to his self- penned tunes, the album earns a "must listen" award.
With a heart feel for the personal and legendary, Grady offers 14 tracks of easy-on-the-ear tunes; "Long Road Back To You" is a tale of crime and love, "Sanctuary" tells of a needed special place, while a "Thousand Horses" (with the stellar narration from Brett Dillon) is a sharing of history. But with this album, it would be wrong to single out favoured tracks, because the whole album is memorable and pleasing.
Pity you won’t hear it on your radio.
http://www.gradyyates.com
