If there's a theme that runs through Play Time, the brand-new solo CD from singer-songwriter Brady Seals, it's definitely rated R. From songs about beer and girls who like to drink and party, to tunes about illicit activities that are best left out behind the barn, so to speak, this CD's got them all.
A native of Ohio who's long made his home in Nashville, Seals is likely best known from his days as the long-tressed keyboardist and sometime frontman for the platinum-selling Little Texas lineup. It was with this act, which he co-founded, that Seals first gained songwriting credibility with hit-country songs such as My Love, God Blessed Texas and What Might Have Been.
Ultimately opting to go his own way, a 20-something Seals went on to release a few solo CDs before joining forces with other musicians to create the band known as Hot Apple Pie, an act that scored a top-20 while signed to the MCA label. These days, however, Seals is on his own once more, and excited about his new CD for StarCity Recording Company, which is set for release Aug. 18, 2009.
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In a written communication, Seals recently took time to discuss song on the 11-tune CD, including the album's debut single, Ho Down, which the performer penned with songwriting partner Kizzy Plush, who happens to be family.
"My cousin and I wrote this one years ago and I was just waiting for the right time to record it," Seals shared. "Play Time is the perfect fit! I love how the guitar parts counterbalance each other, especially on the intro, turnaround and outro. I can't tell you how many times I've seen this (song's lyrical) scenario at the foot of the stage in club's I've played. The one thing I've learned (is that) jealousy and alcohol don't mix well!"
Eeny Meny Miny Moe, written by Seals, David Bradley and Greg Friia, kicks off the rowdy release. This tune, with its girl-focused, take your-pick-theme--like many a country song--is rooted in real life.
"That's a true story!" Seals says of the song's storyline. "When I was growing up there were a couple of years that I acquired a s-s-stutter. I don't know how or why, but I eventually grew out of it. ... It's the classic idea of a small-town boy 'with issues' wanting to be a star ... (and) in my case, a country star."
Two tracks on Play Time center on a staple of honky-tonks, beer, and Seals' penned one, Been There, Drunk That, with co-writer Bill Whyte, while leaving the other, Better Every Beer, to Byron Hill and Billy Yates.
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As for the collaboration with Whyte, "This one almost didn't make it in time to be on the record," he says. "I was done with all of the (album) artwork and mastering of the CD when this one was conceived. Bill came in with this title one day and I just about fell out of my chair. I told him that if we didn't write it, we were crazy!"
Friends since their teen years in Ohio, Been There, Drunk That represents the pair's first co-write together. "I am thankful to have my old friend as my new co-writer," Seals notes. "I love the fact that the song ends the way that it does. Notice that the guy in the song tells the bartender, 'No thanks, Joe, I"ve been down that road. Been there, drunk that.'"
Two tracks on Seals' latest CD deal with wheels, if you will; namely, Trucker Song, written by the artist and Stan Lynch, and the '70s soul-inspired Bubba's Pimpin' Ride, inked by Seals and Plush.
Penned during a "songwriting marathon," the former track represents one of Seals' favorite cuts on the CD, he says, because it "reflects current real-life circumstances for so many hard-working Americans during a time of recession." Meanwhile, Bubba's song is rooted strictly in fun, with Quincy Jones as a musical inspiration.
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On Farmer Brown, another collaboration with cousin Plush, "The faces and names have been changed to protect the guilty on this one," shares Seals of the marijuana-inspired track. Then, on Askin' Questions, keyboardist-guitarist Seals says tried his hand at playing fiddle, but the results weren't as dazzling as he'd hoped they'd be.
Written with Glyn Patterson, "I don't know what we were smokin' while writing this one!" he jokes. "The only thing I know is it's very infectious. I think DJs will have fun working this into their play list. You gotta move your feel while this one's playing."
Up next, Bobby Terry and Kevin Ray helped Seals pen Everybody Smokes in Hell. Says Seals: "This lyric is probably one of my favorites on the CD. To make this title work we really had to do some word weaving. ... The funny thing about this tune is (that) Bobby Terry smokes like a chimney. He knew every phrase and cliche possible for smoking cigarettes. The first rough demo of us ... singing is killer. (Bobby's) got that raspy, gravelly voice that's perfect for this message."
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With contributions from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, as well as pop star-turned-Nashville songwriter Richard Marx, Play Time, may not be what every commercial-country radio programmer seeks, but that's OK by its creator.
"There's no question of this being a really adult record," Seals concedes. "It gets raunchy and raw. But I've always wanted to make music that affects people. Love it, hate it. But you can't ignore it."
To learn more about the singer-songwriter and his latest project, please access Artist Update: Singer-Songwriter Brady Seals.
Lisa L. Rollins - Texas native Lisa L. Rollins, Ph.D., is an award-winning feature writer, interviewer and journalism educator.
