tag:joeymcgee.com,2005:/blogs/review-americana-highwaysReview: Americana Highways2019-04-28T22:02:00-05:00Joey McGeefalsetag:joeymcgee.com,2005:Post/57356852019-04-28T21:40:19-05:002021-01-29T10:10:11-06:00Twangville: Joey McGee - El Camino Real<p>MARCH 06, 2019 <a contents="SHAWN UNDERWOOD" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://twangville.com/31166/joey-mcgee-el-camino-real/" target="_blank">SHAWN UNDERWOOD</a></p>
<p>Although he wrote the rest of the songs on his new album, El Camino Real, the one that most epitomizes the record is a cover of Susanna & Guy Clark’s The Cape. Clark told the story, in his homespun way, of one of the crazy characters that inhabited his world. McGee adds an electric guitar and with his vocal delivery elevates the song to honor the eternal optimist we’ve all met (or been). Similarly, many of the other songs that comprise the project tell tales of fond, and unfond, memories through the eyes of people McGee met along his life’s journey. </p>
<p> Several of the tunes are straight out of the old-school country book. Pining is a ballad pleading a soon-to-be-ex lover not to go. Sunday Blues is a jauntier look at how a contemplative Sunday afternoon can be a window into life. For the Likes Of You explores the source of one’s inner strength. </p>
<p>There’s also a strong dose of Southern roots music on the album. Deep In the Heart is an admission that his adopted home of Texas is where his heart lies now. Hurricane is a Southern rocker that mixes metaphors between storms and girlfriends. Old Beat Up Car is more of a ballad that reminisces about a life well-lived and worth remembering. </p>
<p> Joey McGee has a warmth and personality in his voice that instantly makes you feel welcome. He’s got some great stories to tell and is backed by a band that enhances all of that without overpowering it. Those things come together on El Camino Real and leave you with a reminder to go for the full immersive experience of life, and have a little fun along the way.</p>
<p>NOTE: This review originally published in <a contents="Twangville, April 6, 2019" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://twangville.com/31166/joey-mcgee-el-camino-real/" target="_blank">Twangville, April 6, 2019</a></p>Joey McGeetag:joeymcgee.com,2005:Post/57341232019-04-26T19:07:51-05:002019-04-26T19:09:56-05:00The Musical Divide: El Camino Real Album Review<p>April 11, 2019 <a contents="ZACKARY KEPHART" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://themusicaldivide.com/about-2/" target="_blank">ZACKARY KEPHART</a></p>
<p>The short version: ‘El Camino Real’ is another solid project from Joey McGee. </p>
<p>Favorite tracks: “Stuck,” “Pining,” “Old Beat Up Car,” “The Cape” <br>Least favorite track: “The War You Wanted” <br>Rating: 7/10 </p>
<p>The long version: It says something in the modern Internet age that reviewing an album just two months after its release counts as being “late.” </p>
<p>In truth, I’ve wanted to cover the latest album from Joey McGee for awhile now. He’s the kind of likable singer-songwriter who you want to root for, and part of that recommendation comes from the criminally underrated Terlingua Taproot from 2017. Between his eclectic, but never overbearing, style and easy demeanor, I was eager to see where McGee would go with his newest album, El Camino Real. </p>
<p>At its core, whereas Terlingua Taproot often felt personal to McGee’s own narrative and upbringing, El Camino Real often shifts the focus to other characters. As such, it gives the album a relatable spin while still being McGee’s narrative. </p>
<p>Yet at the same time, everyone here is just trying to find their way on this album. A Vietnam veteran on “Old Beat Up Car” looks to chart the next chapter of his course after realizing he can’t find solace in what used to be his home. “Sunday Blues” is a pretty relatable song about having too much time to sit and think on a lazy Sunday afternoon. When you start thinking too much about certain situations, it can usually backfire, even if we can’t just run away from our struggles. </p>
<p>And El Camino Real doesn’t really offer the answers either, but that’s not the point. The focus here is on getting to that step to where we can even begin to think about moving on. Sometimes it’s in the form of burning it all down and figuring the rest out later like on “Hurricane.” And of course, this theme is captured well in a stone-cold country song like “Pining,” but even “For The Likes Of You” manages to be frankly honest with the narrator’s depression and anxiety and how much his significant other really does mean to him. A secondary focus is just on narrators who won’t give in, which is the why Guy Clark cover of “The Cape” also blends in nicely. “The Journey” also excellently charts the timeline of a life through the perspective of a mother down to her child, realizing that the child will have to chart his or her own course just as she did. </p>
<p>The album even begins with a re-recording of “Stuck” from Terlingua Taproot, this time with a slower tempo and more serious delivery. Personally, I think this version brings out the focus of the lyrics better than the original, so it was definitely a fitting choice to include here. But that’s also a note on how McGee himself has improved. As a vocalist, while there are times his phrasing can still sound rushed like on “Sunday Blues” or “The War You Wanted,” he sounds much more confident than ever before. He sounds like someone who genuinely wants to own up to his past and move on with “Stuck,” and you can tell he’s content with where he is now on “Deep In The Heart.” He’s the kind of likable storyteller who sings with more conviction than before. </p>
<p>And for the most part, the lyrical arc sticks the landing in terms of conveying those complex emotions. Although, it does sounds like there’s a forced rhyme or two in “Hurricane.” “The War You Wanted” is also probably the album’s weakest cut, trying to showcase the falling out of a shattered relationship, either with an old friend or significant other. But when the focus shifts from solely McGee’s past and personal perspective to pointing out the faults of an unknown person, it feels like certain details are missing to really make it stick the landing. </p>
<p>On the other hand, one asset of McGee’s projects is that they’re musically eclectic without feeling jarring or eclectic just for the sake of being so. Again, part of why the re-recording of “Stuck” works so well is its moodier, more serious atmosphere. “Pining” matches a great melody with excellent pedal steel to sell the aching nature of it. And the nice, rollicking guitar groove of “The Journey” is certainly a treat to hear. </p>
<p>But the album also mostly finds itself rooted in mid-tempo singer-songwriter material, meaning it doesn’t branch out quite as much as previous projects. “Hurricane” is a nice, dark, moody rocker, and “Pining” is an excellent country number. But considering the trials the narrator has gone through on “Old Beat Up Car” and allusions to PTSD, I’m not quite sure the warmer, wistful tones really help tell the whole story. If anything, the track definitely could have played to some darker territory. </p>
<p>But with “For The Likes Of You” being lyrically excellent and “Deep In The Heart” being true to McGee’s personal life, the album ends strongly. Once again, I think McGee can find an easy audience in multiple fields from country to Americana and folk, and El Camino Real is yet another example of why that is. </p>
<p>(Decent 7/10)</p>
<p>NOTE: This review originally published in <a contents="The Musical Divide, April 11, 2019" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://themusicaldivide.com/2019/04/11/album-review-joey-mcgee-el-camino-real/" target="_blank">The Musical Divide, April 11, 2019</a></p>Joey McGeetag:joeymcgee.com,2005:Post/57256992019-04-19T13:15:05-05:002019-04-19T13:15:05-05:00NO DEPRESSION: THE READING ROOM: Joey McGee Embraces Storytelling in Both Books and Songs<p>April 11, 2019 <a contents="Henry Carrigan" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.nodepression.com/author/henry-carrigan/" target="_blank"> Henry Carrigan</a></p>
<p>Texas roots singer-songwriter Joey McGee loves a good story, and he’s thrilled when he can put a good story to music. When he’s not letting an idea for a new song percolate in his mind, McGee’s reading a good book or listening to Dylan or Guy Clark or Patty Griffin, paying attention to the ways those writers put words together to tell a story or to paint a colorful soundscape. </p>
<p>A native of New Orleans, McGee’s personal and musical journey has carried him from his Louisiana homeland to the Hill Country of Texas to the industrial corridors of Pittsburgh and back to the Brazos Valley, where he now makes home near Bryan, Texas. Along the way, he’s been nourished by the rich musical flavors of Cajun, soul, rock, blues, and country music. His new album, El Camino Real, traces this journey through these musical styles. Named for the old road that winds from Louisiana to Mexico, the album features songs that wind through the hills and valleys of McGee’s own life — losses and disappointments, revelations and hopes — and reveal his embrace of the diversity of musical styles that have shaped him. </p>
<p>Looking back on his journey, McGee notices that his love of storytelling is the thread that runs through it: “I like simplicity. I like a good story and I like playing guitar,” he says. “The whole ‘three chords and the truth’ thing really resonates with me, and I find that in country and folk. It’s in the blues and gospel, too, and I think blues and country are two sides of the same coin. I can dig ’em both if there’s a good story to tell and a good groove to be had.” </p>
<p>I met McGee in Nashville last September at the Americana Music Association Conference and Festival. We were sitting in a session at which Charles Hughes was speaking about the intersections of country music and soul music. After the panel McGee and I started talking about topics including religion, race, and reading. We continued the conversation one afternoon over coffee, and we continue it here, in the context of books, reading, and songwriting. </p>
<p><strong>What books are on your nightstand now? </strong></p>
<p>Well, there are some books I read over and over, so I always have them near at hand: Elie Wiesel’s Night; Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl; Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. I have a couple of books that I am currently reading. One is As Many Reps as Possible by a CrossFit guy named Jason Khalipa; it’s a bit of his story and a bit of a business book, too. The other is Doug Bender and Dave Sterrett’s I Am Second, which is a collection of testimonies and stories of how people come to faith. Then I have other books that I hope to read, or that I have read a little bit and am trying to read as I have time. One is the new Jeff Tweedy memoir Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back). Another is Charles Hughes’ Country Soul. Then there’s Angela Davis’ Blues Legacies and Black Feminism and Ben Myers’ System of a Down: Right Here in Hollywood. </p>
<p><strong>What’s one book you won’t leave home without? </strong></p>
<p>The Bible. It’s been life-sustaining for me for years. There is a companion that I take with me everywhere and use every day: the dictionary! I have a copy on my iPhone, but I use that thing multiple times a day and it is a constant companion, likely more than the Bible, now that I think of it. The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron, too, though not the entire book. She has a section called “morning pages,” and she recommends writing 1,000 words a day. For me, it’s like therapy. I also take my bullet journal with me; it’s the place where I write notes. I write every day. Writing has helped me bring to the surface my thoughts about certain subjects. </p>
<p><strong>Do you always finish books? </strong></p>
<p>Well, I’ve never finished Julia Cameron’s book (laughs). I was listening to a Joe Pug podcast that featured the writer Brian Koppelman. He mentioned Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. He also said that he didn’t finish the book, but started doing “Morning Pages,” the exercise Cameron encourages. I found that hilarious! Has anyone finished the book? There are several business books I’ve never finished. I was almost that way with Tamara Saviano’s book about Guy Clark, Without Getting Killed or Caught. I almost stopped reading the book when it got to the partying. </p>
<p><strong>How have social media affected your reading habits? </strong></p>
<p>Social media are a big distraction to me, so I try to stay away, even though as an artist I have to be present on media such as Facebook and Instagram. I like to read print books, though, and I don’t read books in digital format. </p>
<p><strong>What writers do you admire most? </strong></p>
<p>Dylan, Patty Griffin — she’s a huge influence in my life. Paula Cole, Suzanne Vega, Rich Mullins — he was a big influence in my life. What I love about Rich is that he had this wild relationship with God that came through his writing and his songs. </p>
<p><strong>What’s the last great book you read? </strong></p>
<p>Dylan’s Chronicles. I really resonated with the book, especially with where I am on my journey. I have also been listening to a lot of older music and learning from it. </p>
<p><strong>Can you talk a little about your approach to songwriting? </strong></p>
<p>Songwriting for me is a deep thing. Some people write songs for the sake of writing songs. I want a song to accomplish something in the world, something good in the world. Lots of my songs are percolating; “percolating” is a very good word for me. I have something percolating in my mind, either a melody or an idea. From the time I was eight or ten, I wanted to write stories. I’ve always been attuned to words. Sometimes it’s memories or feelings that are rolling around, sometimes it’s melodies. “Pining,” from the new album, came about as a challenge from a friend who asked me if I knew Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice.” I listened to the song at midnight and woke up at 3 a.m. and the song just poured out. Some of the songs on the new album I wrote while I lived in Pittsburgh, over 10 years ago. It was during that time that I came to love country music. A couple of the songs for the new album I finished only a day or two before going into the studio.</p>
<p><strong>If you could have dinner with three writers, living or dead, whom would they be? </strong></p>
<p>Alice Walker: she was a huge influence on me when I was young, especially her book Revolutionary Petunias and Other Poems. King Solomon. James Baldwin: I’d love to hear what he had to say. Maya Angelou: In reading her I get the sense that she was pulling from a deep well of understanding and profundity. I also love her particular Southern voice and vernacular. She was astounding. Incidentally, a line in one of the songs, “Sunday Blues,” on El Camino Real is rooted in something she said while being interviewed by Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey asked her, “What is the greatest virtue?” Maya thought for a while and responded, “Courage.” Hence, “Courage is a virtue that is hard pressed to be found / and wisdom shouts from rooftops / though it’s hard to hear the sound.” And I find her assessment of courage to be true. Malcolm X: I would love to talk with Malcolm about the transformation that happened in his life. Malcolm was a scrappy guy from the East Coast, a survivor on a number of levels, and I would love to converse with him about his change and how that played out in his life. I love stories of transformation and overcoming.</p>
<p>NOTE: This review originally published in <a contents="No Depression: The Reading Room, April 11, 2019" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.nodepression.com/the-reading-room-joey-mcgee-embraces-storytelling-in-both-books-and-songs/?fbclid=IwAR01djS1HCZtVbGUbO72E1Skeg8piS1S_kU5CoVoaGmjT_L2L1fQmQ8YBM0" target="_blank">No Depression: The Reading Room, April 11, 2019</a></p>Joey McGeetag:joeymcgee.com,2005:Post/56982842019-03-28T14:44:11-05:002022-05-22T23:02:46-05:00Music In The Morning, Austin Fox 7 News<p>February 22, 2019 Fox 7 News, Austin (Video)</p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.fox7austin.com/good-day/music-in-the-morning-joey-mcgee" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/54928/e41eb63fd591da3f44921e36a1d96ffc391b6b99/original/screen-shot-2019-02-27-at-8-23-59-am.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p> </p>Joey McGeetag:joeymcgee.com,2005:Post/56662622019-03-02T05:14:07-06:002019-03-02T05:21:28-06:00The Alternate Root: El Camino Real Album Review<p>February 28, 2019 <a contents="Danny McCloskey" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.thealternateroot.com/reviewarchives/joey-mcgee" target="_blank">Danny McCloskey</a><br>Joey McGee from the album El Camino Real available on Mosaic Sun Music<br><br>The songs of Joey McGee are musical chameleons, the stories claiming the same diversity. The songwriter introduces tales and characters that he collected on his travels after leaving his native New Orleans, Louisiana on his latest release, El Camino Real. The songman fuels “Old Beat Up Car” with a Tex Mex rhythm, shuffles an assured groove to give air to “The Cape”, slides guitar notes in to cheer the beat-up man in “Sunday Blues”, and lets a solid backbeat light a fire for “Deep in the Heart”. <br><br>El Camino Real’s blend of Blues, Rock, Soul, and Country find a home under an Americana umbrella, Joey McGee feeling that the album ‘taps into the rootedness of who I am — a Southern, Creole-Cajun musician working through my hang-ups and trying to make the world a better place along the way. These songs are a good reflection of where I am in life. They feel like rich, warm, black earth in your hands’. The beat and the lady both hold on to a sharp-edge throughout “Hurricane” as Joey McGee shows the time of our lives as “The Journey” and lets honky tonk tears flow with the sway of “Pining” while El Camino Real stages “The War You Wanted” on a Rock righteousness. <br><br>Listen and buy the music of Joey McGee from <a contents="AMAZON" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07NDRZZDC?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwthealter04-20&camp=1789&linkCode=xm2&creativeASIN=B07NDRZZDC" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> <br>https://joeymcgee.com/</p>
<p><strong>NOTE</strong>: This review was originally published by <a contents="The Alternate Root, February 28, 2019" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.thealternateroot.com/reviewarchives/joey-mcgee" target="_blank"><strong>The Alternate Root, February 28, 2019</strong></a></p>Joey McGeetag:joeymcgee.com,2005:Post/56617262019-02-27T10:38:53-06:002022-03-26T07:00:23-05:00Americana Highways: Joey McGee Perfectly Blends Rock, Soul, And Country On ‘El Camino Real’<p>February 26, 2019 <a contents="Gary Schwind" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://americanahighways.org/author/gary-schwind/" target="_blank">Gary Schwind</a></p>
<p><a contents="Joey McGee" data-link-label="store" data-link-type="page" href="/store--2">Joey McGee</a> is a singer-songwriter who is carrying on the long tradition of Texas-based storytellers on his new album El Camino Real (Mosaic Sun Music). </p>
<p>When you play this album, the first song is “Stuck.” The first thing you notice is the similarity between Joey McGee’s vocals and Jackson Browne’s. It is a well-constructed tune that combines elements of rock and soul into a sound that is easy to listen to. </p>
<p>“Sunday Blues” is a song that draws you in immediately. The intro features some accordion, which is just enough to give the song a little Louisiana flavor as well as some twangy guitar. That is enough to catch your attention. Then with the first lyrics of the song, McGee nails a sentiment shared by lots of people, “Sometimes the place that you come from ain’t the place where you belong.” The lyrics are a real strength of this earnest song. McGee delivers one line after the other that make you nod your head. </p>
<p>McGee seems to have a way with encapsulating life experiences in a song. “The Journey” is a good example. He takes the listener through the whole journey of life from birth to a mother’s realization that her child will soon set out on his or her own. And he does it all in 3:15. The melody of this song delves a little more into country than other songs – especially with the pedal steel. </p>
<p>The album contains a cover of “The Cape” by Guy Clark. The guitar tone is reminiscent of Derek Trucks and the organ brings a soulful sound to the song. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the original, you can’t help but sing along with the chorus, “He’s one of those who knows that life is just a leap of faith. Spread your arms, and hold your breath, and always trust your cape.” </p>
<p>This album is a good showcase for the storytelling abilities of McGee. The longest song is only 5:34, but he packs a lot of details into songs that aren’t excessively long. On top of that, he perfectly blends rock, soul, and country into a mellow, easygoing sound. El Camino Real was released on February 22 and is available everywhere now. Order your copy<strong> <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.com/El-Camino-Real-Joey-McGee/dp/B07NDRZZDC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1551069937&sr=8-1&keywords=joey+mcgee+el+camino+real" target="_blank">here</a>.</strong></p>
<p><strong>NOTE</strong>: This review was originally published by<strong> <a contents="Americana Highways, February 26, 2019" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://americanahighways.org/2019/02/26/review-joey-mcgee-perfectly-blends-rock-soul-and-country-on-el-camino-real/" target="_blank">Americana Highways, February 26, 2019</a></strong></p>Joey McGee