March 2, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Kent Maxson; Wiggle in the Road Records
Email:karatpatchmusic@wiggleintheroadrecords.com Web:http://www.wiggleintheroadrecords.com
Phone: (214) 385-9728

earBuzz Music Review of
"Just Outside Nashville" CD
by Rogue.

In the wake of the UK's extension of artist's rights to collect royalties, opening up for discussion the fairly fruitless comparison of the significance of songwriter to performing artist, comes the novel country songwriting project, Rogue. The concept is simple - songwriters are the artist and all performers are hired musicians - with the focus being on the song and the production of its recording. Rogue is Kent Maxson, David MacKechnie, and Michael Jarrett, all industry-proven and seasoned songwriters whose music has graced the albums of a who's who list of superstars from Elvis to Garth. The album "Just Outside Nashville", shows why. Each song, without exception, strikes a smile and a heart-string with everyman lyrics and melody that land close to home. You laugh and cry in alternating tracks. The CD opens up with "Whittler's Corner" - a 2-step reflection on court house steps and 3 salty whittling timers who have advice for the world, 'all my troubles seem so mall, there are no problems on Whittler's Corner, Bill, Bob, and Earl have solved them all". Great country songs are great stories, and track 2, "A Blue Sky Over Red River", a sad and poignant coming-of-age song, is no exception. The writers paint a picture of a man whose parents are passed. 'River' explains life as a flowing river and sings of a mother and father's wisdom given their son in the sky of their home on Red River. Following "River" is comic relief in a way only country can provide in "I'm Coming Back as a Dog". The country boogie-woogie mover takes the human condition and complications and offers a prediction for reincarnation, 'i'm gonna bark at the moon, chase pussy cats, have one helluva time, gonna mark my turf on this here earth with other dog buddies of mine. .buddy i'm comin' back as a dog'. Track 7, "The Love Song I Promised", begins kindly enough as it talks about how 'easy it is to write this love song' until we find out why. The emotional baggage that is communicated with perfection explains the difficulty a life in music wages on relationships. The musical dramatics work with a violin solo that soars above the minor key. In the collection there are a couple of female fronted songs, our favorite of which is track 11's, "Becky Standard Time", a Raitt-tinged slide guitar 4-minute romp that explains how a strong woman protects her life with her man when he's finally off work. The lyrics are masterful, 'i think you better give that phone to me, he's got some overtime going on here, so mister let's make this crystal clear, i said reset your clock, you're not the boss, not in Becky Standard time, I call the shots. .he lays down his soul from 9 to 5, but when he gets home, that boy is mine, he done crossed the line, you're on Becky Standard Time'. City mouse country mouse remnants are the topic of "Dirt" as the writers unleash a comparison between city smoke, concrete and the musk of country earth - with the clear choice underneath the fingernails of the singer. "i'm about to be long gone, better climb on in, i'm gonna leave this city life behind, let the country clear my mind, get into a work shirt, and find me some dirt'. Of the 15 tracks on a record where several songwriters join the main Rogue writing trio, the final song, "Country Music (Three Chords and the Truth)", is a tribute written by the three dedicated to country music. It's fitting, really, because the idea that songwriters can be the artist on a record performed by multiple instrumentalists and vocalists is right for the genre. Real country music has always been the most penetrating of adult music. In most cases the lyrical content has gotten past the struggle, cynicism, and idealism of other forms of expression in a pragmatic 'making the best of it' tone. It relates and does so with simple words, with simple melodies, that contrast the reality that although life isn't simple it is shared. The seasoned songwriters of Rogue are also seasoned men, and the tunes remind us that there are friends inside the 'karat patch'. That wise-zone of country writing where musical communication is discovered. Well done.

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The new CD "Just Outside Nashville" may be purchased online at:

http://www.wiggleintheroadrecords.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
CONTACT: Kent Maxson; Wiggle in the Road Records
Email:karatpatchmusic@wiggleintheroadrecords.com Web:http://www.wiggleintheroadrecords.com
Phone: (214) 385-9728

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Fresh From
the
Karat Patch...

Where it's all about
the Song!

15 Songs
by

Kent Maxson

Michael Jarrett

David Mac Kechnie

"Just Outside Nashville" CD/Album Information

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