jeff ray
Singer-songwriter Scotty McCreary co-wrote nearly all of the songs on his fifth studio album, Rise and Fall (released May 10th by Triple Tigers), and he was with Scotty throughout the writing process. His steady hand was not the result of typical regular writing sessions. Music Row in Nashville.
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The North Carolina native brought some of his closest songwriting collaborators, including Brent Anderson, Monty Criswell, Derek George, and writer/producer Frank Rogers, to McCreary, a Raleigh suburb about 800 miles from Music City. I brought him to my home on a writing trip.
“This is heaven on earth,” McCreery told Billboard about the writing camp. “It goes at a slower pace. You can put your mind in a different creative space than writing scheduled at 11:00. It was just hanging out and seeing what happens. These are Some of my favorite songs we've ever written.”
That laid-back time led to hours of developing song ideas, crafting melodies, and refining lyrics, resulting in albums like “Fall of Summer” and the radio single “Cab in a Solo.” Many of the included songs debuted on Billboard's Country Airplay chart. A subsequent Nashville-based mini-retreat featuring many of the same writers, as well as Jeremy Bassey and Bobby Hamrick, produced many of the album's songs, including “Lonely” and “Little More Gone.” .
“For me, when I have a personal connection to a song, I believe in it more and feel it more,” McCreery says. “It feels like my album, not just a collection of songs.”
McCreary's commitment to quality music has been the key to five No. 1 Country Airplay hits, including three-week chart leader “Damn Straight” in 2022. Along the way, McCreary has made his dedication to country history known to the public. Songs like 2018's nostalgic hit “Five More Minutes” and small-town anthem “Water Tower Town” echo the footsteps (and polishes) of genre pioneers like Randy Travis and Keith Whitley. vocal style) is engraved.
That mission is emanated through rise and fall. McCreary, 30, grew up immersed in the country sounds of the '80s and '90s, a genre coincidentally experiencing a modern-day resurgence. Lighthearted songs like “Stuck Behind a Tractor” and “And Countin'” are featured on “Lonely,” the bluegrass-infused album closer “Porch,” and the faith-filled “Red Letter Blueprint.” ” and other heartbreak songs.
“It's no secret why [the album] It may sound like that, but we weren't chasing a specific sound,” says McCreary, who is managed by Scott Stem of Triple 8 Management. His vision for the album was simpler. He said, “We wanted to make country music. 'Let's make an album that feels good to us,'” he said.
Another song on the album, the rambunctious “Can't Pass the Bar,” sounds a bit like John Michael Montgomery's “Sordo” or Garth Brooks' “Ain't Goin'.” It is not the same as the song title in parentheses, which seems to be required. “Down (Till the Sun Comes Up)” features the same galloping pace that made these songs classic hits, but also a challenge for the vocalist.
“When I was writing the song, I was like, 'Oh my God, this is going to be a big deal,'” McCreary says. This song is fast, so our minds were going a mile a minute, but it was fun to write. I sang the demo and thought, “Oh, I can sing this.''
“No Country for Old Men” nostalgic for the classic sounds of yesteryear, performing classics such as Conway Twitty's “Tight Fit Jeans” and Ernest Tubb's “Walking the Floor.” However, McCreary shows off how he sinks the bass into the lower register more than ever before. ” and Merle Haggard’s “Swinging Doors.” He wrote this work during a retreat with Anderson, George, Rodgers, and Criswell.
“We spent a long day writing, drinking a cold beer, sitting around the kitchen table with our guitars, and getting to work,” McCreary says. “Everyone liked the idea and wanted to be a part of it. It was fun to name those names and weave in song titles and influences. While we were writing the song, I wish the cameras were filming us. We were laughing and jeering and hollering just at how it came together. It was fun to write the song. It was a method.”
Some of McCreary's biggest hits are directly from his own stories, including “Five More Minutes,” inspired by his grandfather's death, and “This Is It,” which focuses on his love story with his wife, Gabi. Some are painted. That arc continues on his new album, with the cover (the shot was taken in the same spot in the North Carolina mountains where McCreary proposed to Gabi) and “Love Like” written after the couple welcomed son Avery in October This was filmed in “This”. 2022.
“The moment Avery was born, I felt a different kind of love,” McCreary says. “When I first saw your child, I had never felt that feeling before. If you look at the caption I posted on Instagram after Avery was born, it was, 'I have never known love like this before. The caption read, “It wasn't there.” This is my father's song to Avery, and I still get a little choked up every time I listen to it. ”
“Hey Rose” is the only song on the album not penned by McCreary, which he held on to for nearly a decade. He was fascinated by the song's redemptive love story and kept it hidden away, waiting for the right time to record it.
“We were making a record when I got the offer to do it.” [in 2015]But I just didn't feel like it fit that album,” McCreary says. “When I was recording, [Rise and Fall], I had an hour left in the studio, so I pulled this song out. The whole band, everyone in the studio was like, “This has to be a record.” I begged the label to let me include some additional songs, and they happily agreed. ”
Like the album's title, McCreery has experienced highs and lows in his career. His debut album, 2011's Clear As Day, spent six weeks atop Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, and his debut country single, “I Love You This Big,” topped Billboard's Top Country Albums chart for six weeks. ” became a Top 15 hit on Country Airplay after her coronation as the 10th season winner of American Idol. His career then stalled, and he parted ways with Universal Music Group Nashville before signing with Triple Tigers in 2017. The WME client has painstakingly rebuilt his status as a hitmaker through music and multiple headlining tours.
In late April, two of McCreary's heroes, Travis and Josh Turner, inducted him as a new member of the Grand Ole Opry — an induction ceremony that celebrated the preservation of country music's traditional sound. They represented three generations of famous singers who continued to strive for development. Joining his lineage of over 200 artists as a member of the esteemed Opry family allows McCreary to continue to focus on what he does best: writing (and performing) country music. It's a nod.
“I love writing songs. I love sitting down with a blank piece of paper and a few hours later it's finished. There's a sense of accomplishment when you write something you're proud of,” McCreary said. says.