USA Music Charts Magazine

The first thing I need to say about LoCash Cowboys self-titled, debut album is ‘it’s about time’.  The duo, made up of Preston Brust and Chris Lucas, have been around for a while, putting two singles,  “Here Comes Summer” and “Keep in Mind,” in the Top 40 back in 2010.  They released more singles in 2011, 2012 and 2013, but none of them got as much air time as I think they should have.  As a result, not many people heard the songs or requested the songs to be played on the radio, and none of these songs did very well on national music charts.

This singer/songwriter team has had a Number 1 single, but it wasn’t something they recorded.  Keith Urban took “You Gonna Fly,” written by Preston and Chris, to the top of the charts, in 2012.  Tim McGraw had a Top 10 hit, “Truck Yeah,” also written by this duo.

Several songs LoCash Cowboys previously released as singles are also part of this new album, including my favorite, “Keep in Mind.”  I will never understand why this song peaked at No. 34 on Billboard’s country chart.  Well written, and certainly well performed, the song should have been a Number 1 hit for the duo.  It seems not enough radio stations picked the song up at the time of its release.

Other songs on the new album are “Chase a Little Love,” “You Make it Look Good,” “I Hope,” “Hey, Hey, Hey,” “Best Seat,” “Little Miss Crazy Hot,” “Bounce,” Love Drunk,” “Fine,” “Independent Trucker,”  and “C.O.U.N.T.R.Y.”  Nine of the 12 songs were written or co-written by Chris and Preston.  George Jones is a featured guest vocalist on the song “Independent Trucker.”

This debut album comes just six months after the signing with their new label, Average Joes Entertainment.  Fans will find a little of everything in the music on this new CD.  A lot of the songs are about family and fun, some are flirty songs, and of course there are some of the high-energy songs you will hear at their stage shows.

Not surprising they included “C.O.U.N.T.R.Y.”  and “Hey, Hey, Hey” on this new project.  These are two of the songs the duo has been performing for a long time.  Fans probably can’t think ‘LoCash’ without thinking ‘C.O.U.N.T.R.Y.’

I wasn’t a fan when I first heard LoCash Cowboys.  Their music was loud, and seemed to be more for the young country/rock fan than it was for the older, more traditional country music listener.  However, they won me over with “Keep in Mind,” and they are certainly keeping my attention with songs like “Chase a Little Love,” and “I Hope.”  Whatever you may be in the mood to listen to, they seem to have a song that will work for you.  I’ve seen them in concert several times, and if they are ever back in this area I will definitely see them again.  It didn’t take long for me. I went from ‘I don’t like them,” to “They’re ok,” to “I’m one of their biggest fans” in no time at all!

When I listen to a CD for the first time, I pick a favorite.  I didn’t think I would have to do that this time, because “Keep in Mind” is one of the songs on this new album, and because that will always be my favorite LoCash Cowboys song.  But I did pick a ‘second favorite.’  That honor is going to “I Hope.”

Preston tells his fans that what country music really boils down to is the power of the song.  His hope is that the group will be able to reach out to both the older and younger crowd.  One of the hopes for the duo was that this album contain songs that best define LoCash.  I think they accomplished that.

You can get all your LoCash Cowboy news by visiting their website at www.locashcowboys.com, and follow them on Twitter @locashcowboys.  Keep up with everything country music by visiting our website at www.countryschatter.com, and follow us on Twitter @countryschatter.

 

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Upcoming Performances Include Grand Ole Opry on July 17 in Nashville, CMA Songwriter Series at Joe’s Pub on July 23-24 in NYC, and Texas Dates in August
 
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – July 15, 2013 – Country music singer/songwriter Steve Wariner will release his new album, It Ain’t All Bad, on Tuesday, Sept. 10. This is his first non-instrumental album in more than eight years, and he produced the album and wrote or co-wrote all 12 songs. Wariner will release the album on his own label, SelecTone Records, and it will be distributed by Allegro Distribution, a division of the Allegro Media Group. 
 
“I am excited to introduce these new songs to my fans,” said Wariner. “My friends and I have written these songs over the last few years, and I’ve been saving them for this project. I’ve had fans come up and ask me when I was going to do another album with vocals on it. I didn’t mean to take an eight-year break from singing on an album. I just had such a blast making my guitar tribute to Chet Atkins, so I followed it up with another instrumental album. Now I’ve got to remind folks that I still sing,” he said with a laugh.   
 
Wariner’s co-writers on this album are Al Anderson, Bill Anderson, Kent Blazy, Rick Carnes, Rockie Lynne, Rob McNelley, Karyn Rochelle, Jim Rushing, Mike Severs, Allen Shamblin and Tom Shapiro.
 
The 12 songs featured on It Ain’t All Bad are:
 
1)  “It Ain’t All Bad”  (Steve Wariner, Allen Shamblin)                  
 
2)   “Voodoo”  (Steve Wariner, Al Anderson)
 
3)  “Arrows at Airplanes”  (Steve Wariner, Rockie Lynne, Mike Severs)
 
4)   “Don’t Tell Her I’m Not”  (Steve Wariner, Karyn Rochelle)
 
5)   “Bluebonnet Memories”  (Steve Wariner, Rick Carnes)
 
6)   “What More Do You Want?”  (Steve Wariner)
 
7)   “Spokes in a Wheel”  (Steve Wariner, Kent Blazy)
 
8)   “I Want to Be Like You”  (Steve Wariner, Bill Anderson, Tom Shapiro)
 
9)   “It’s Called a Brand New Day”  (Steve Wariner, Rob McNelley)
 
10)  “Whenever I See You”  (Steve Wariner, Rick Carnes)
 
11)  “‘48 Ford”  (Steve Wariner, Jim Rushing)
 
12)  “A Thousand Winds”  (Steve Wariner)
 
Wariner, who hosted the NAMM 100 Top Dealer Awards last Friday (July 12) at Summer NAMM in Nashville, will perform on the Grand Ole Opry this Wednesday, July 17. He will travel to New York City next week to perform with Bob DiPiero, Brett Eldredge and Tia Sillers at Joe’s Pub on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 23-24 as part of the CMA Songwriter Series.
 
Upcoming tour dates include:
 
Aug. 2     Austin, Texas         Midnight Rodeo            
                
Aug. 17   Pleasanton, Texas  Young Farmer’s Rodeo  
 
Aug. 31   Houston, Texas      Dosey Doe                    
 
Sept. 1    LaGrange, Texas    Fayette County Fair              
 
Sept. 20  Franklin, Tenn.       Franklin Theatre
                                    
Wariner has won four GRAMMY Awards, four CMA Awards, and one ACM Award, among other honors. He is a member of the Grand Ole Opry and has been inducted into the Music City Walkway of Stars, the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, and the National Thumbpickers Hall of Fame.
 
Wariner has placed 14 songs at No. 1 on the country charts: “Holes in the Floor of Heaven” (which won both the CMA Single and Song of the Year Awards and the ACM Song of the Year Award), “Tips of My Fingers,” “The Weekend,” “Life’s Highway,” “I Got Dreams,” “The Domino Theory,” “Some Fools Never Learn,” “You Can Dream of Me,” “Small Town Girl,” “Lynda,” “Where Did I Go Wrong,” “All Roads Lead to You,” “I Should Be with You,” and “What If I Said” (Duet with Anita Cochran). Wariner is also well-known for such hits as “Two Teardrops,” “I’m Already Taken,” “Kansas City Lights,” “Lonely Women Make Good Lovers,” “Leave Him Out of This,” “Burnin’ the Road House Down,” and more.
 
In addition to writing many of his own songs, Wariner has written hits for other artists including Garth Brooks (“Longneck Bottle”), Keith Urban (“Where the Blacktop Ends”), Clint Black (“Nothin’ But the Taillights”), Bryan White (“One Small Miracle”), and more. Peter Tork of The Monkees recently recorded Wariner’s song “Crash Course in the Blues” for an album available through Tork’s website. Fifteen of Wariner’s compositions have been given BMI Million-Air Awards for being broadcast on radio in excess of one million times.
 
Wariner is also an acclaimed guitarist who was mentored by the legendary Chet Atkins. He has released three successful instrumental albums on his SelecTone Records label: Guitar Christmas, Steve Wariner c.g.p….My Tribute to Chet Atkins (which includes his song “Producer’s Medley,” winner of the 2010 GRAMMY Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance), and Guitar Laboratory.
 
For more information on Wariner, visit www.SteveWariner.com, follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stevewariner or on Twitter @SteveWariner.