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| PRESS RELEASE |
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| VIDEO / CMT's New Voices No Cover |
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CHRIS RICHARDS GLIDES ACROSS THE COUNTRY
TUMBLERS & GRIT DELIVERS ON POTENTIAL...AND THEN SOME
Nashville, TN (May 18, 2004)--
"Tumblers & Grit" -- Top 8 Albums of 2004
Allison Moorer, Harp Magazine |
"Chris Richards may not be a household name in the realms of Americana/smart-country music, but Tumblers & Grit (his sophomore effort after 2001’s Jam The Breeze) is one of the most consistently solid and competent CDs I’ve heard in a long time in terms of production, writing and even singing in what’s been called Richards’ 'comfortable-old-shirt tenor.'"... Here’s a disc that sneaks up behind you and holds your attention for repeated listenings. Bruce Sylvester, Goldmine Magazine
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"Ok, folks - Here's the rundown. Here's how you make a great country music record in this day and age. [Richards has] assembled a brilliant cast of players, written some downright amazing songs, and delivered them all in a rich, smooth, silky baritone voice that ranks among one of the finest ever recorded in Nashville. The fact of the matter is that Tumblers & Grit is one of the finest country albums to be made since the 1960's golden age of Buck Owens and the Buckaroos And Merle, Johnny, and Willie. And it is a REAL country album. And no one seems to have the guts to make one of those very often anymore. You've got my word on it." Embo Blake, Hybrid Magazine
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"No alt-country artiste, Sheboygan-bred Chris Richards evokes a time in the early '70s when both Nashville and L.A. were producing a wealth of individualistic singer/songwriters... In a better world, Richards' talent for pouring himself into a lyric would be all that was necessary for a brilliant, nationally recognized career." Tom Laskin, ISTHMUS
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"Richards isn't one of those hip, alt-country firebrands; his top-flight original songs find new juice in standard country themes... and this sounds less like a "Honkytonk Graveyard" - to borrow a song title - and more like honky-tonk heaven. A vital contribution to the genre." Nick Cristiano, PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
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"His introspective songs of vulnerability and mettle are more akin to those of Rodney Crowell and roots-rocker Dave Alvin, and his melodies and storytelling follow in the footsteps of Billy Joe Shaver and John Prine. Richards has assimilated the elements that once made Nashville the center of American music, and is doing his part to help Music City regain its former relevance." Eli Messinger, EAST BAY EXPRESS
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"Songs from Sheboygan: Not only do they make bathtubs and sausage in Sheboygan, but the city can now proudly claim fine singer-songwriters as one of its exports. Chris Richards has been turning heads in Nashville with his warm, rugged alternative country, anchored by a warm baritone that reminds a lot of people of Gordon Lightfoot's voice. MADISON.COM
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"Richards mixes cheerful-sounding jangle rock with rock-bottom honky tonk authenticity...fine country rock collection." Bob Strauss, LA DAILY NEWS
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"If the Country Music Association ever creates an award for the Best Album Written in a Crack House, put your money on Chris Richards' "Tumblers & Grit." TJ Simon, COUNTRY STANDARD TIME
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"Sheboygan, Wis., native Chris Richards makes his home in Nashville nowadays and recorded this album in a Music Row studio, but there's nothing here that will put him on the right side of the tracks in Music City." Greg Crawford, DETROIT FREE PRESS
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"Hard-hitting country-folk with a heart and vibrant emotion, tremendous Americana with a powerful bite. Chris Richards is a true voice and a phenomenal songwriter, with as awesome backup band. This guy is the real stuff." Kathy Coleman, COUNTRYMUSIC.ABOUT.COM
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He really wasn't asking all that much."I had real simple goals with this," Chris Richards says of his new independent release, Tumblers & Grit. "I just wanted to make the best country-based record that a kid from Wisconsin could possibly make." Lucas Hendrickson, THE TENNESSEAN
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"Not exactly 100 percent traditional country but way better than New Country, Chris Richards unleashes a series of songs that poise him to walk beside (or very closely behind) songwriting legends such as Lyle Lovett and Guy Clark." Jedd Beaudoin, F5 WICHITA WEEKLY
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With his sweeping, pan-country exploration entitled "Tumblers & Grit", soulful singer/songwriter Chris Richards embraces and expands upon the glittering promise attributed to him in No Depression magazine two years ago. Set for release July 13th on Lake Effect Records (distributed by Emergent/Sony Red), "Tumblers & Grit" merges Richards’ cozy, "favorite shirt" baritone and enviable knack for marrying tune to lyric with a steady-rolling crew of some of Nashville’s most distinctive players.
At once rugged, straight-up and well-crafted, Richards’ lyrics run the gamut from jubilant celebrations to closing-time weepers to brutal introspections, but in every case they’re delivered via a warm, soothing vocal instrument that variously recalls a remarkable assemblage of smooth, intimate stylists--most obvious among them Don Williams, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Gordon Lightfoot.
By his own admission, Richards’ hometown of Sheboygan, Wisconsin was hardly a hotbed of musical creativity when he was growing up. A stint with a major record label in LA taught him more than he wanted to know about that end of the biz, but it was during that time that he became intrigued by the notion of songwriting as a career path. A book on the subject by revered tale-spinner Tom T. Hall provided guidelines AND the assurance that he was on to something, and, with the aid and encouragement of long-time Dave Alvin sideman Rick Shea, he recorded his debut disc, "Jam The Breeze," in 2001.
Despite that project’s limited budget and Richards’ relative inexperience, "Jam The Breeze" caught the respective ears of such shakers-and-movers as Mojo, No Depression and BBC radio. Reviewer Crispin Sartwell (ND #37, Jan/Feb ‘02) cited John Prine and Lucinda Williams as touchstones, writing "Chris Richards’ performance of these ten magnificent songs is not polished, but that is not to say it is not in its own way perfect."
Buoyed by the positive attention, Chris relocated to Nashville and applied himself to honing his craft, even as he--with the assistance of family friends in Wisconsin--set up his own independent label, Lake Effect Records.
Richards enlisted legendary producer/iconoclast R.S. Field (John Prine, Billy Joe Shaver, Allison Moorer, John Mayall, Buddy Guy, etc.) to produce "Tumblers & Grit", and the two men assembled a suitably eclectic group of studio ‘A-listers.’ The core band features six-string wizard Kenny Vaughan, stringed-thing ace Chris Carmichael, keyboardist Steve Conn, a crack rhythm section of bassist Jared Reynolds and Shawn McWilliams, and--in perhaps the biggest coup of all--pedal steel and dobro Hall-of-Famer Lloyd Green.
Although "retired" from the music business for more than a decade, Green (whose steel playing has poured liquid fire on recordings by George Jones, Johnny Cash, The Byrds and Paul McCartney) recently got back in the saddle, greasing the rails on Alan Jackson’s "Remember When," which brought Green’s tally of contributions to #1 hits to an astounding 117--and counting.
Whether or not number 118 is on "Tumblers & Grit" remains to be seen, but there is no shortage of worthy candidates on the set. Fueled by a driving beat and crisp interplay between Vaughan’s chiming 12-string and Green’s sassy steel, "To Sing The Blues" gets this stylish country roller-coaster ride off to a high-stepping start, and the rest tracks through like a particularly inspired feeding of a classic honky-tonk jukebox.
With R.S. & Crew providing a rock-solid foundation, Chris Richards’ deluxe ‘stealth’ vocals guarantee he’ll get inside you but getting these sublime tunes back out of your head is another story.
For more information:
COMMOTION PR
615.467.6677
Kay Clary: kay@commotionpr.com
Donica Christensen: donica@commotionpr.com
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