But what's missing from that track is Yoakam's signature heartache and pain. It's tempting to kick off with “Honky Tonk Man”, Yoakam's effective cover of Johnny Horton's classic that was also his breakthrough hit. “Guitars, Cadillacs” from the 1986 album Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. Here are ten of the best, a solid introduction to one of the genre's greatest talents.Īnd while it's not represented on the list, I highly recommend his stellar Under the Covers, an excellent covers album that is best heard in its entirety. Nine of his releases have been certified gold or better, and his biggest set to date – This Time – has sold more than three million copies. Information: (501) 975-9000 | simmonsbankarena.Few artists command as much critical acclaim as Dwight Yoakam, yet he was also a stunningly successful commercial act from the start.Friday, Simmons Bank Arena, 1 Simmons Bank Arena Dr., North Little Rock ![]() "It's crazy, and we're just trying to take it day by day." "The whole deal is a trip," Clayton said. "I started teaching myself songs from YouTube, and somewhere in there I showed the songs to my folks and it was one of those, 'Holy cow! You can sing,' kind of things."Īnd now he has a debut record that is getting positive reviews - "A strong collection with songs that will appeal to a wide audience," said Americana UK: "Hopefully, there's more where this came from," said American Songwriter - and is opening a show in his home state for longtime country star Yoakam. It wasn't long before the instrument ended up in his room. He'd get the banjo out and I'd try to play along."Ĭlayton was in junior high when his parents gave his sister a piano. His grandfather, Johnny Clayton, played banjo in a bluegrass/gospel band and taught him chords on the guitar. "I just thought it was a perfect way to close the album," he said.Ĭlayton comes from a musical family. Luckily, we had some veteran session players in the room that day and they quickly were able to jot down what I was trying to articulate."Ĭlayton's classic rock-leanings are on full display in his reverent cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's take on the old Leadbelly song "Midnight Special." And while "Long Way From Home" opens with a song about the morning, Clayton ends the album's narrative with "Sleepy Night in Nashville," a stripped-down, folksy meditation on the end of a long day. "It's as much of a tip of a hat to the Beatles as I can give. "That song is my baby on the record," Clayton said. "Heartaches After Heartbreak," with its wicked slide guitar, is a banger that would sound right at home on Outlaw Country.Īn enjoyable outlier on the album is the jaunty "Cotton Candy Clouds," which has an almost "Sgt. I hid behind it for a while, but somewhere along the way I thought, this is what it's like this is how I feel." "I wasn't sure if I wanted to really divulge that much personal information. "By the time we started back to work, I almost had the whole song written."Īs powerful as the track is, he admitted that he was hesitant to include it on the album. ![]() Clayton was working on a landscaping crew when, during a lunch break, he quickly wrote down the first verse of the song on the Notes app of his iPhone. The title cut is a compelling, heart-rending ballad about homesickness, family and the uncertainty of trying to build a career out of writing and singing songs. I wrote the song in about 45 minutes, and it was exactly what I was feeling at the time." All the artists, all the musicians, everybody's doing it and everybody is pretty good. ![]() "I had only been in town six months or maybe less, and everything was just so overwhelming. "I wrote that here in Nashville before covid hit," Clayton said. The record opens appropriately with "Hello, Good Morning," a sweet, acoustic sketch augmented by the sounds of birds chirping and then gets rolling with "American Millionaire," a loping, boot-tapping track about paying dues and - fingers crossed - making it big. The 10-track album highlights Clayton's skill for blending Southern rock with a solid country sensibility and a little bit of playfulness. These are heady times for Clayton, whose self-released debut LP, "Long Way From Home," came out in January. The show is also the first time he's ever played a venue of that size, Clayton said. "It's going to be unbelievable to share the stage with someone like that." ![]() "I'm just super grateful for the opportunity," Clayton said last month from his home in Nashville, Tenn., where he lives with his wife, Claire. The 27-year-old Fort Smith native will be onstage at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock opening for country legend Dwight Yoakam. His gig on Friday will be a little bit bigger. The last time singer-songwriter JD Clayton performed around these parts was an October show at Stickyz Rock 'n' Roll Chicken Shack in Little Rock.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |