Joey Rory - The Life Of A Song (12 tracks) +Album Reviews

Joey + rory .... where have you been all my life? :o)

Lori | Northwest Ohio | 11/06/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I like gettin' dOwN n RoWdY with the best of 'em, but sometimes, I find, especially in the fall when the world slows down, I just want to hear some good music. Music so good it hurts, but in a good way. =)

Enter Joey+Rory.

I completely fell in love with them on CMT's 'Can You Duet?' And even more so when I saw their submission video. (check youtube!) Phew. Move over Tim and Faith! ;o) Thankfully, even though the couple did not win the contest, they landed a deal with Sugar Hill Records.

The other week I saw two Overstock.com commercial featuring the married couple. Never in my life did I not want a commercial to end. (Again, check youtube.)

Track 1: Play The Song - I soooo could have heard The Judds singing this back in the day. This song simply talk about how folks {mainly mainstream radio} are bound and determined to put music into a box. Good Lord, country radio, enough's enough ... just play the dang song!

"It's too bad they just don't play the song, play the song/Turn it up loud enough we can all sing along/And let the people decide if the music is right or it's wrong/Man, it's a shame instead of playing the game/Play the song, play the song!"

Track 2: Sweet Emmy Lou - I did not grow up listening to Emmy Lou Harris. But by the grace of my online subscription service, little by little, I am catching up. It's overwhelming, 'cause good Lord, that woman has a catalog! So I'll gladly except any recommendations. ;o) Anyway, Joey's vocals shine on this track. She's a true songbird.

"Sweet Emmy Lou/As the needle runs through you/The way the pain shines through/Well, I know you've been there to/Those sad melodies/Oh, how they comfort me/Sweet Emmy Lou."

Track 3: Tonight Cowboy You're Mine - I could only listen to a 30 second clip of this one. It's a "turn down the lights" kind of song. *hint hint wink wink* Very pretty.

Track 4: Cheater, Cheater - Can we say "white trash hoe" in country? We can now. LOL This song was featured on CMT's 'Can You Duet'. You can view the video on youtube.

Track 5: Rodeo - Any song that involves the rodeo hold a special place in my heart. My best friend in high school was a bull rider, so I always find myself thinking of him when I hear one. About a girl who just wants the rodeo to let her cowboy go. :o/

Track 6: Heart Of The Wood - The first thing I notice was how stripped down this track was; just Rory playing his acoustic guitar and Joey on vocals. A story song about the character's relationship to wood. By no means, boring. Wrapped up with a beautiful spiritual ending. ;o)

Track 7: Tune Of A Twenty Dollar Bill - You'll have a toe-tappin' good time listening to this tune. Makes ya wanna roll back the rug and cut lose. Why thank you, I think I will. *wink*

Track 8:Loved The Hell - As a young girl I always seem to take a likin' to the bad boys. (How I end up with my husband I have no idea!) Anyway, I remember thinking how I could love the hell out those boys. @@ Boy was I wrong! Haha! Joey's character in the song does exactly that. And the song has a surprising ending for what started off as a melancholy country song. It will leave you smiling, trust me.

Track 9: Free Bird - You've never heard 'Free Song' performed this way. Joey + Rory make it sound like it was meant to be a lullaby. Personally, the song takes on a whole new meaning. I never thought of singing this song to my girls as they fall asleep. But you can guarantee after hearing this version, I will. They'll be driftin' off to dreamland in no time flat. *smile* Again, Joey's vocal shine on this track.

Track 10: Boots - Another song I could only listen to a 30 second clip. Great beat. Simply seems to discuss what a good pair of boots are for. ;o)

Track 11: To Say Goodbye - A love story. A real tear-jerker, so have the tissues handy. If you love a good song about a unconditional love and don't mind being left bawling by the end from it's beauty, this song's for you.

Track 12: The Life Of A Song - The lyrics speak for itself.

"A song lives forever/It never ever dies/It sings enemies together/And touches so many lives/Words and melody will always be long after we are gone/Oh, how I wish I could live the life of a song ..."

If you love tradition country music, this is an album for you. It's feel good music. Music that'll put a quiet smile on your face."

Joey's voice is like melting butter on hot cornbread..

Steve Johnson | Puget Sound, WA, USA | 11/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Joey & Rory may have lost on Can You Duet (they were ripped off in my opinion), but thank the Lord, they got a record deal. This CD is excellent. Finally, a country duo and not some pop star wanna-bes. They have fun and also seem to really enjoy poking a little fun at times. She can sing slow songs and up tempo songs with equal enthusiasm. Rory balances it out with his unassuming demeaner and songwriting talent. He also sings harmony, but never interferes with her lead vocals. I also own her solo Cd from a couple of years ago. Search for Joey Martin on MySpace and you can buy the MP3's from that CD. Hope they're around for a long time."

One of the best

T. Patterson | 10/31/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the best traditional country music CDs to be released this year. Joey has a voice like Emmylou Harris. Rory writes with the best of any songwriters in Nashville.

The Heart of the Wood is also one of my personal favorites, as well as Sweet Emmylou.

FYI, Joey and Rory were on the Grand Ole Opry a couple of weeks ago.

Just to let you know, Joey and Rory sound just as good in person as they do on the CD.

"

Reality TV produces something REAL

Timothy P. Williams | 02/15/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The success of "American Idol" spawned numerous talent show imitators, including CMT's "Can You Duet." Despite the ratings success of several of these shows, few of the winners have actually gone on to great success in the music industry. Knowing that the husband-wife duo of Joey and Rory earned their recording deal from such a show - which they did not even win - I was skeptical.

By midway through the album's first cut, I was hooked.

Joey Martin, whose first (solo) effort was never widely released, has a natural, pleasant voice, which is reminiscent less of her own idol (Dolly Parton,) than of country icon Loretta Lynn. Martin does not display a wide vocal range (though I suspect she could,) but instead manages an emotional range that pulls the listener in without overpowering the lyrics, or forcing the sort of pop-influenced histrionics that have so polluted Nashville in recent years. It is a rare vocal talent that can be, on its face, so understated, yet at the same time, so unique and so utterly captivating.

Husband Rory Feek, while capable with his harmonies, is, more importantly, the (co)writer of the majority of the album's tracks. Already an accomplished writer, having penned such chart-toppers as Blake Shelton's "Some Beach," Clay Walker's "Chain of Love," and Jimmy Wayne's "I Will," Feek's strengths, beyond catchy melodies, are his story-telling and his humor. The album's first single, "Cheater, Cheater," makes it clear that he knows both his audience and his wife. The crisp chords and clever lyrics work as well as they do mostly due to Joey's unforced charm and likeability. A woman wronged should not make us smile, but she does.

Covers are usually safe choices to fill in an album, but Joey and Rory jump right into the deep end of the pool, taking on the classic rock anthem "Free Bird." Having grown up in an era where there was hardly a party not highlighted by teenaged boys playing air guitar to Lynyrd Skynyrd's ode to youthful wanderlust, it is difficult to imagine the song performed any other way. Yet, to borrow a cliche, they "make it their own," turning 1970s stadium rock self-actualization into a more timeless and introspective song about a wandering soul. It has to be heard to be believed - and Joey and Rory will make you believe.

If I were to note any negative at all, it would be the studio chatter included on "Heart of the Wood." Although interesting, it was also a little distracting on what was otherwise one of the album's strongest tracks. However, on a debut effort like this one, pointing this out is really just nitpicking.

Reality TV gets a well-deserved rap for being mostly fake, but there can be no doubt that Joey and Rory are for real."

A Fresh and Welcome Recording

Art and Music | 02/04/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Joey and Rory are an interesting and talented husband and wife duo who have come from out of Tennessee to claim an upper rung on the country music ladder. Their CD offers an interesting blend of traditional country plus just enough contemporary edge to make it commercially viable. But the music is theirs and the production is handled with integrity.

Joey's beautiful lead singing and Rory's original songs cover a nice range of sounds including tasteful ballads and waltzes, acoustic singer-songwriter genre, bluegrass, country shuffles, and as I mentioned a hint or two of contemporary country. The vocal harmonies are well-rendered, and despite the impressive variety of moods displayed here, everything sounds natural with no hint or strain that affectsw some artists who try to "cover all the bases."

This is a fresh and welcome recording from two dedicated country musicians who are doing things their own way. I look forward to following their musical journey and wish them continued success."

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