Aaron Watson, Angels & Outlaws

Country singer Aaron Watson has recently released his new single “The Road,” the first single from his forthcoming studio album scheduled for release in early 2010. The song, written by Elliot Park, features an infectious chorus that will surely make “The Road” a driver’s seat soundtrack. Different from the countless other “road songs” sang from the perspective of the traveler, this one actually is told from the point of view of road we tread on. A sample lyric goes, “I offer many choices and places you can go/But you must choose/I’m just the road” and it’s “paved with memories, glory and regrets…lined with broken dreams and cigarettes.”

Watson states, “I write a lot of my own songs, but from the first time I heard ‘The Road,’ I knew I wanted to cut it. It’s just a great song that grabs you from the first line and doesn’t let you go through the entire song. I also really liked the message of the song…don’t blame the road of life, you’re in control of your own destiny for the choices that you make and the road just provides the pavement.”

Counting Willie Nelson, George Jones, and Merle Haggard as his musical influences, the Amarillo, Texas-born Watson begun learning guitar at an early age and began writing and singing his own songs while he was a college student at Abilene Christian University. He became a regular fixture on the Texas honky-tonk circuit before releasing his debut album “A Texas Café” which contains 15 songs.

In 2002, he released his second album, Shut Up and Dance, which was a regional sales success, producing the hit single “Off the Record.” The album also gained him airplay and media attention nationwide. In 2004, he released “A Honky Tonk Kid” and featured guest vocals from his hero, Willie Nelson. Live at the Texas Hall of Fame was released in 2005. His 2006 album, San Angelo hit No. 60 on the US Billboard country charts and No. 50 on its Heatseekers chart. On April 2008, Watson’s Angels & Outlaws, his 8th album reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Heatseekers chart, No. 28 on its Country Albums chart, and landed in The Billboard Top 200.

The album’s debut single, “Hearts Are Breaking Across Texas,” reached the No. 1 spot on the Texas Music Chart. Watson also released on September 2009 a CD/DVD live album, Deep in the Heart of Texas: Aaron Watson Live. It reached No. 47 on the US Chart and No. 24 on the US Heat.

Having already released 10 albums, the 31-year-old Watson is constantly writing and recording his own style of country music that his ever expanding fan base longs for. The long and taxing road of his career has led him to this new single, appropriately titled, “The Road.”

“The Road” can appeal to a variety of listeners. Loyal fans of Watson will certainly appreciate this newest offering from him. And for those who still don’t know who Watson is, “The Road” may just be the song that will get you hooked on the honky-tonk star.

George Jones

At 78 years old, Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee George Jones clearly has no plans of stepping down to the younger superstars of the genre. In a move that some industry folks have considered as divisive, while leading others to laud his guts for speaking out, Jones has recently said a mouthful against the younger set of artists dominating the genre these days.

“They’ve stolen our identity,” this is what Jones said in a recent interview with the Associated Press when prompted to give a comment about younger artists such as Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift. In the same interview, Jones added, “They had to use something that was established already, and that’s traditional country music. So what they need to do really, I think, is find their own title, because they’re definitely not traditional country music.” In his defense, Jones did admit that some of the newer songs are good; however, he thought these no longer reflected pure country music of old.

At the same time, though, he did praise fellow artists whom he thought have kept the spirit alive. “It’s good to know that we still do traditional country music. Alan Jackson still does it, so does George Strait.” Quite optimistic about the genre’s future direction, he says, “We still have it, and there’s quite a few of us that are going to hope that it comes back one of these days.”

Jones has been known to be a very vocal critic of anything that could destroy the purity of traditional country music, which he has helped endear to fans across the US. As a matter of fact, Jones also had a few choice words for artists whom he thought were guilty of such acts. When fellow Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee Johnny Cash covered the Nine Inch nails song, “Hurt,” members of the media were sure to get a sound bite from Jones and that’s just what they had.

When the senior country artist was asked if he too would branch out in other musical genres such as heavy metal or rap, he retorted, “Rap? That’s tacky … how can you call that music? Now, I love music, too. I love all kinds. I really do. I’ve got Brook Benton. I like his singing.” He says, “Ray Charles. I’ve got an open mind. But now, you can’t call rap, talking stuff like that, music. No, no, no, you’ve got to have another name for that.”

Speaking about his own career and music, he says, “Only thing I would like to keep accomplishing is music for my fans and achieving some goals to keep them happy with what I record in the future.” When asked if he had plans of putting out more records in the future, he replied, “I’ve done just about everything else. The good Lord’s been good to me … I’m going to enjoy the rest of my life.”

Jones’ most recent effort is a CD called “A Collection of My Best Recollection,” which includes his all time most requested songs throughout a career that has spanned for almost six decades. This CD, exclusively available at Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores, includes two unreleased songs as well as classic hits such as “I Don’t Need Your Rockin’ Chair” and “White Lightning.”