That Nashville Sound Sunday Newsbytes: New Albums Galore

Some new records forthcoming-

- Songwriter Brett James (his credits include the Number One country hits "Who I Am" by Jessica Andrews, "Blessed" by Martina McBride, "When the Sun Goes Down" and "Out Last Night" by Kenny Chesney, "Jesus, Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood) among others is releasing an EP called I Am Now on March 27. Source

- John Anderson is releasing a new album this Spring, titled Years, on Easy Eye Sound. Produced by Dan Auerbach and David “Fergie” Ferguson and set for April 10, the album includes 10 new originals as well as a special guest appearance by Blake Shelton on the track “Tuesday I’ll Be Gone.” Source

- Lily Hiatt is releasing a new album called Walking Proof on March 27 as well. Source

- According to this Rolling Stone article, Lee Ann Womack is working on a new album to be released at some point later in the year. Source

- Luke Bryan will release a new album called Born Here, Live Here, Die Here on April 24. Source

Write You a Song Podcast Episode V - An Interview With Songwriter Brett James

This morning we share another new podcast from host Tom Mailey from Bonneville radio station New Country 105.1 KNCI in Sacramento. Tom is a country radio veteran with over 30 years of experience in Seattle and Sacramento and a key partner in our Golf & Guitars Children's Charity Music Festival, a little event in our twelfth year that has raised well north of a million bucks for kids and individuals with disabilities. It highlights the songwriters in our industry and is entitled Write You a Song.

It's his hope that this podcast will shine a little overdue spotlight on the talented men and women who, mostly behind the scenes, write the songs that become part of our lives. You know their words and music, but maybe not their names: Write You a Song will feature some of country music’s biggest songwriters--like Jeffrey Steele, Brett Warren, Tim Nichols and more.

Songwriter Brett James talks about writing hits with Carrie Underwood... and what makes her such a creative songwriter in her own right. He also shares stories behind hits like "Man I Want To Be", "Something in the Water" and how a night out in the Islands with Kenny Chesney led to writing two number one singles, back to back. If you're an aspiring songwriter, or just interested in the craft, Brett's a great and engaging guest!

James' compositions have been credited on 494 recordings by a wide variety of artists. Signed to Career Records (a division of Arista Nashville) as a solo artist in 1995, James charted three singles and released a self-titled debut album that year. He returned to Arista as a recording artist in 2002, releasing two more singles.

Since the early 2000s, James has become known primarily as a songwriter for other country and pop music artists. Among his compositions is Carrie Underwood's 2006 number-one hit "Jesus, Take the Wheel", which received Grammy Awards for Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance. His writers' credits also include number-one hits for Jessica Andrews, Martina McBride, Rodney Atkins, and Jason Aldean. 

Jessica Andrews Schedules Greatest Hits: More Than Miles For Release This Month

Artist: Jessica Andrews
Album: Greatest Hits: More Than Miles
Label: Jessica Andrews Music
Release date: July 15, 2016

Having taken control of her life and career, Jessica is pursuing her musical passions with singular intensity. "Some people still think of me as Rosemary's granddaughter, the 17-year-old girl who had a hit with 'Who I Am," she observes. "But that was (many) years ago. I've changed a lot since then, and now my goal is to let people know how much deeper I can go and how much more there is to me."

Indeed, much has changed for Jessica Andrews since she launched her career with her 1999 debut album Heart Shaped World. While still a precocious, big-voiced teenager, she achieved a major chart breakthrough with 2001's Who I Am, before expanding her musical reach with 2003's Now. In addition to winning the Academy Of Country Music's Top New Female Vocalist award, she's scored a series of memorable hits including the #1 country smash "Who I Am," and shared stages with the likes of Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Trisha Yearwood.

Track listing:
1. I Will Be There for You
2. You Go First
3. Unbreakable Heart
4 I Do Now
5 Who I Am
6 Who I Am (Acoustic Version)
7 Who I Am (3 Am Pop)
8 Helplessly, Hopelessly
9 Karma
10 There's More to Me Than You
11 There's More to Me Than You (Ballad Version)
12 Good Time
13 The Marrying Kind
14 Summer Girl
15 Everything
16 Now or Neverland
17 The Prayer
18 The Clown
 

12 Years After It's Recorded, Jessica Andrews Finally Releases Ain't That Life

Artist: Jessica Andrews
Album: Ain't That Life
Label: Jessica Andrews Music
Release date: Jan. 15, 2016

Most country fans only know the radio story of Jessica Andrews. At age 15 in mid-1999, she made her debut on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts with the single "I Will Be There for You", from her debut album Heart Shaped World, released in 1999 on DreamWorks Records Nashville.

Andrews had her biggest chart success in 2001 with the song "Who I Am", a No. 1 country hit and the title track to her second studio album, which was certified gold in the United States.  They recognize her from her three released albums and her 11 charted hits.

What they don't know is that there was a fourth album that was recorded and permanently shelved. Until now.

In late 2004, Andrews charted a duet with Bret Michaels of the rock band Poison, entitled "All I Ever Needed" for his solo album Freedom of Sound. Shortly afterward, Andrews began work on her fourth studio album, tentatively titled Ain't That Life. Its lead-off single, "The Marrying Kind", failed to chart, while "Summer Girl", the second single, peaked at No. 46 in mid-2005. DreamWorks' recording division was dissolved shortly afterward and Andrews would go through similar trials and tribulations with her next record deal with Carolwood/Lyric Street Records.

Flash-forward 12 years and the masters from that fateful album and have released it this past week.

Ain't That Life track listing:

1. Ain't That Life
2. Ain't That Something
3. Bad Girl Blues
4. Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You
5. Forever To Go
6. I Need A Man
7. I'm Going Back
8. The Marrying Kind
9. Me
10. Poison's in the Sugar
11. Sing This City Home
12. Straight to the Bone
13. Summer Girl
14. Walking Out That Door
15. When We Get There
16. Who I Was
17. I Won't Hold You Down (with Marcel) Bonus Track

Hear It Here- "Wild Horses" By Richard Marx and Jessica Andrews

Richard Marx went to Facebook last night and announced that he's cut a few covers over the last couple of years just for fun and wanted to share this one with fans. It's the Rolling Stones' classic, "Wild Horses" and features a special guest harmony vocal by country singer, Jessica Andrews.
 

Hear It Here- New Music From Jessica Andrews- "The Clown"

Two friends of Jessica Andrews, Kate York and Emily West, both pointed out this brand new track that's just terrific called "The Clown." Click on the artwork below to listen to the track.

An Interview With Jessica Andrews

This past week, I had the unique opportunity to do an interview with Jessica Andrews for Engine 145.

Launched when she was 15 years old, her debut album, Heart Shaped World, helped Andrews earn her first industry award as the Academy of Country Music's top new female vocalist in May 2000. In 2001, Andrews released her second album Who I Am. She earned her first No. 1 single with the title track, and received her first CMA nomination for horizon award. The album Now followed in 2003, with the moderate hit "There's More To Me Than You." Now was the title of Andrews' third studio album, also released on DreamWorks Nashville. Its lead-off single, "There's More to Me Than You", reached Top 20 on the country singles charts.

With DreamWorks closure and a subsequent record deal that also resulted in a record deal closure, Jessica has taken time off for a marriage and a career reality check. She has new music coming out soon with a new indie record deal. Check out the teaser quote below on the new project and then read the rest of the interview HERE.

"I think that I have a specific record in mind. For the first time in my career, although I have a lot of songs written right now, I want to start down a path that I’ve never done before. I told the label that they’re going to need to be patient with me and trust me on this. I’m going to create this as we go along. I have a bunch of songs that are written right now, but I don’t know if that’s what I’m going to do. I have a very specific album in mind. I’m booking writing appointments and writing with some very specific people that I want to make this music with. It’s just starting to come into a shape and form right now. They’re very understanding of my process right now. They trust me. I have a record that I want to make and I’ve never made before. It’s very challenging. I’ve never done this before. But I’m very excited to take on that challenge and do something that I’ve never done before."

TNS Video History- Jessica Andrews Covers John Lennon's "Imagine"

Marcel & Jessica Andrews Marriage Proposal Video

This isn't song-related per se, but it's pretty fun stuff regardless- it's the marriage proposal video between country music artists Marcel and Jessica Andrews.

New Live Music Video From Jessica Andrews- "Imagine"

New Music Video From Jessica Andrews & Dave Pahanish- "Now Or Neverland"

Dozens Of Big Names In Country Music Looking For New Labels

Over at CMT.com, their editorial team has finished a huge survey of signed and recently released acts- and there’s several big surprises on current unsigned acts.

Among the departures are Emerson Drive from Valory Music Co., Randy Owen from Broken Bow, Trace Adkins and Kenny Rogers from Capitol (Adkins has since signed to Show Dog-Universal) and the Bellamy Brothers, Hal Ketchum and Hank Williams Jr. from Curb. Also moving on are SHeDAISY, Jessica Andrews and Trent Tomlinson from Lyric Street, Kate & Kacey Coppola and Adam Gregory from Big Machine, Rhonda Vincent from Rounder, Jennifer Hanson, Kevin Costner and Shooter Jennings from Show Dog-Universal, Jason Michael Carroll from Arista, Crystal Shawanda from RCA Nashville, Pat Green from BNA, Keith Anderson, Caitlin & Will and Gretchen Wilson from Columbia Nashville (Wilson has since started her own label) and Shelby Lynne from Lost Highway.

Watch Jessica Andrews Sing New Single "Everything" Unplugged

Watch it here...

Listen To The New Jessica Andrews Single "Everything"- Released To Radio November 24th

Last month, we reported about Jessica Andrews new signing with the Disney-owned Carolwood Record Label. We're happy to say that she'll be returning to radio in about a week and a half with the great new release, Everything.

Jessica Andrews’ return to the spotlight comes via a song written by her boyfriend singer/songwriter Marcel (who is on the Disney owned Lyric Street label) and produced by Jay DeMarcus of Rascal Flatts fame. She is the first artist announced for Lyric Street’s new imprint Carolwood Records, with a full-length album on the way.

“I think it took every bump along the road to get me to where I am now,” says Andrews. “I’m much more at peace with being able to do what I love artistically and musically, and now I feel like this is truly me.”

Click here to listen to the brand new single.

Jessica Andrews Signed To Disney's Carolwood Records

Jessica Andrews, who released several albums on the now defunct DreamWorks Nashville label, is back with a new label. Andrews signed with the Lyric Street sister imprint Carolwood Records, President Randy Goodman said today.

"We're thrilled to have an artist of Jessica's caliber and track record to help us launch Carolwood," said Goodman. "The music is great, and everyone is excited about her debut single, Everything. Our goal with Carolwood was to come out of the box and take our first single all the way, and Jessica gives us that credibility and shot."

Andrews came on the country music scene at the age of 15 as her first single hit the charts and in 2000 had a chart-topping single and album of the same name, "Who I Am." In 2002, There's More to Me Than You hit 17 on the charts. Eight other songs have charted, though none made the top 20. In recent weeks Andrews has been at work in the studio with Rascal Flatts bassist Jay DeMarcus, who produced her debut Carolwood Records single.

"I'm really excited to be a part of Carolwood Records and pumped to be the first artist and first new music they deliver to country radio," said Andrews, 24. "Over the last few years I've been focusing on writing and getting geared up with new music. Marcel wrote an amazing song in Everything and working with Jay (DeMarcus) has been the icing on the cake. I'm just ready to get out there and share my new music."

Everything is Andrews' first new music in over three years. The song will deliver to country radio on Nov. 4 for immediate airplay. Her new CD is expected to be out next spring.