CD Reviews- Collin Raye- Never Going Back

The Background:
Mixing up the laid back rock and folk of mid-seventies Southern California with country and rock n’ roll, Collin Raye has always blended the lines of pop and country. On the 4/28 release Never Going Back, Raye has evoked the spirit of the day when an artist could record an album and perform it just as it sounds in a smoky club or on a stadium stage. “Before this, I’d never done an album where I’ve wanted to immediately go out and perform the whole thing,” explains Raye. Recorded in Alabama’s historic Muscle Shoals, the album feels guided by the ghosts of the country, rock, blues and pop albums that the region cultivated throughout the 70s. “This is the album I’ve always wanted to do,” says Raye, a weighty statement from the man who has four #1 Billboard country singles, 21 Top 10, four platinum albums, three AC hits, several CMA and ACM nominations and years of sold out tours already under his belt. And true to his word, he’ll head out on tour right as Never Going Back is released, ready to play every single track onstage each night.

The Review:
This album is everything you've come to expect from Collin Raye. The big ballads, the 'message' songs, and that tenor voice that make Raye one of the most recognizable artists on country radio. It’s not classic country, although he has never pretended it to be. Even the title of the album speaks of his creative freedom that he’s been granted at his new label (Time Life). The production is very slick- at times almost too synthetic. The instrumentation does feel late 70’s and early 80’s- but not in a classic way. Unfortunately, it makes it feel like something was missing in the studio. The first single released off the album, “Mid Life Chrysler” is neither catchy, humorous, introspective or has any other connectivity to the listener on a personal level. The songs lean toward pop and rock, with the exception of one little gem that truly made the entire album worth listening to… “She’s With Me.” It’s a beautiful and touching ballad that drew me before I even heard the back-story to the song. Once I heard the back-story, it made it one of the highlights of 2009.

“She’s With Me is a tribute to my granddaughter, Hailey, very, very special - and very ill with a neurological condition that no one’s been able to diagnose, and it’s regressive … for six years, I’ve been having this in my heart,” says Raye. “It’s very hard to write about things like this, because nothing is ever good enough for her, and it’s hard to put into words how you feel. The idea of “She’s With Me” struck me about a year or so ago. Thinking in this life she can’t do anything for herself. She comes and goes because she’s with me, and then I related it to the afterlife thinking, well, if I’m lucky enough to ever be standing in front of the Lord or St. Peter … maybe, she’ll be standing there and say, “Well, it’s okay, because he’s with me.” Collin has been a tireless advocate for Hailey and realizes the extraordinary toll that a child’s medical condition and the resulting expenses can place on a family - especially in such a terrible economy. That is why he has joined with OK to raise funds for organizations helping these children and families to be able to get treatment, transportation and housing dictated by often long, expensive hospital stays. Collin has teamed up with Operation Kids to help him use his new song “She’s With Me” to raise funds for a cause near and dear to his heart: children and families facing extraordinary medical conditions. $5 helps a child facing extraordinary medical expenses & gets you a complimentary download of his new song “She’s With Me.” (Those interested should go to http://tinyurl.com/d5famh)

Sounds Like:
Middle Aged Rascal Flatts

Track Highlights (suggested iPod adds):

She’s With Me

The Verdict:

She’s With Me Song- Five Out Of Five Stars
Rest Of Album- Two Stars Out Of Five