Review of "Backroad Therapy"

Robby White
BACKROAD THERAPY
©2010 Independently released
MTM258701
Review by Lucky Boyd
Co-Founder, MyTexasMusic.com

For all who have openly admitted they love traditional country music as well as the newer sounds, and for those who don’t mind saying they have both Johnny Cash and Wade Bowen in their collection, Robby White has your next purchase. With a foundation of solid country sound, White blends traditional feel and instrumentation with a large dose of country nouveau. Robby pens seven of the eleven tracks, co-writing another, and delivering a solid performance on every cut. White’s voice is Texan and clear, with just enough twang to turn the corners of your mouth upward in an approving smile while listening. There are serious offerings on the disc, but mostly the album takes a mildly humorous view at typical country music topics. She doesn’t just treat you bad on track one, she’s actually “Evil” and “I Hate Love Songs” is most likely the result of knowing her. Most of the songs are lyrically driven and you’ll be glad you listened carefully as the stories are entertaining in a big way. “Lone Star State Of Mind” (an over-used title, if you ask me) and “Pretty Little City Girl” are less about the story; instead, delivering a feel-good cut suited well for dance floors and loud car radios. A favorite cut is “I Am The Highway,” penned by Chris Cornell and expertly delivered by White. At 4:41 in length, radio might not like it much right now, but if they will give it a shot, it should play well. Also, I couldn’t help but hear Don Henley singing this tune as I believe it would make a perfect Eagles offering. Next time I see Don, I’ll give it a soft pitch. “Chicken Tree Road” is getting a lot of attention right out of the gate, and it’s a good track, but it’s probably second or third on my list of best radio releases. With that being said, it’s easy to see how deep this album can go. There are a number of potential releases. Jocks are advised to listen all the way through before playing, as some of the lyrics might be a little strong for family audiences. I didn’t hear anything worthy of a parental warning, but you know how the FCC and program directors can be. I think you’re going to hear a lot about Robby White in the future. He is supporting the album with performance dates, and radio seems to like him. I’ve always said it takes 100 things aligning perfectly to make a superstar. Most artists can hope to get 60 of them at once and it’s rare to see an artist in the 90’s, but White is up around 93 or 94 in my view and if he can hold out for the sheer luck required to align the rest, he will enjoy some national fame. Already, he has the good sense to write great songs and find other writers who do the same. This disc is a Texas country lover’s dream in that it plays well in the player, whether you’re actively listening or not. Great background music is tough to find when you’re trying to build the soundtrack to your everyday life, so listen to this album, fall in love with your favorite tunes, then press the repeat button and let it play.

Gringo Road Rules

Hey Y'all,

I know I haven't blogged in a while. We've been quite busy.

So instead of telling you all about it, I thought I'd just show you.



We've logged A LOT of miles and tried to work along the way:



We've played some cool Radio Shows:



Met some really nice station managers:



We took breaks when we could:



Tried to be respectful when we were in public:



Worked on some new material:



and still remembered to thank our sponsors:



Radio tour means late nights and very early mornings. Some of us deal with sleep deprivation better than others, so we try to be very respectful of each others down time:


Well, that about wraps it up. We are glad to be home for a few days.
We'll see you soon on the Honky Tonk Road!

Peace, Love, and REAL. TEXAS. MUSIC.

RW

New venues, new friends.

Happy Easter Everyone,

Me and the crew had an awesome weekend. Friday night we played at Hubcaps in Gainesville TX. We were astonished by the sheer size of the place. It is a family owned place and is very friendly. Shane took good care of us. My friend, and one of the best songwriters I know, Tom Mcelvain came out to the show. I enjoyed getting to visit with him...were scheming up a songwriting session. I will keep y'all posted on that. Oh yea, Jesse Simms band opened for us out there...go check them out great guys with a great sound.

Last night we were in Plano at Last Chance Saloon. WOW what a night. "The Bitches" (Shutdown Town) were there with us, along with my pal, you know the long haired goateed honky tonk hippie Brett Dillon. Tony and Bobbi own Last Chance, and to say they are gracious hosts doesn't even cover it...they are awesome. After sound check, Tony pulled me aside and told me he had prepared a special meal for me...lamb chops and let me tell you, THEY WERE PERFECT. Its refreshing to have such great people to deal with....seems like not long ago we were playing shitty little dives where we had to fight to get paid. I'm so excited about what the next few months holds....

See you on the road!

RW

What the hell is "Backroad Therapy"?

I've been answering that question quite a bit lately!
So, without further ado here's the tall and short of where that album title came from:

You know, sometimes life gets hectic. Hell, sometimes it gets just plain hard. Everyone has their own way of dealing with stress. Some kind of "Therapy" that's what keeps us going. Well, for me, when I'm feelin' stressed or overwhelmed I go jump in the truck, go find some whiterock (and it ain't too hard to find around here), turn the radio up way too loud and just drive it out. (yea, there's usually beer involved too)
I wrote a song about that called "I Need A Backroad". We started playin' it live all over the place and I discovered from talking with folks that I'm not the only one that finds "comfort in the curves" as Max Stalling would say.

Soooo, I started working on the album, writing songs, thinking about the direction of it. What I wanted to do more than anything was make a record that would work on whiterock. The kind of record you can get a long way away from those city lights, put it in, turn it up, and let it make you feel better...Backroad Therapy.

As I type this, we are just 3 days from the release after over a year of work and planning. I'm so excited friends!!!

"If life won't let us be carefree, we'll go get some backroad therapy"-

RW