{"id":82519,"date":"2024-05-09T12:07:19","date_gmt":"2024-05-09T16:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2024\/05\/09\/scotty-mccreery-doubles-down-on-songwriting-storytelling-on-rise-and-fall-we-wanted-to-make-country-music\/"},"modified":"2024-05-09T12:07:19","modified_gmt":"2024-05-09T16:07:19","slug":"scotty-mccreery-doubles-down-on-songwriting-storytelling-on-rise-and-fall-we-wanted-to-make-country-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2024\/05\/09\/scotty-mccreery-doubles-down-on-songwriting-storytelling-on-rise-and-fall-we-wanted-to-make-country-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Scotty McCreery Doubles Down on Songwriting, Storytelling on \u2018Rise and Fall\u2019: \u2018We Wanted to Make Country\u00a0Music\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- no image --><\/p>\n<div>\n<!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tSinger-songwriter <a href=\"http:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/scotty-mccreery\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"http:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/scotty-mccreery\">Scotty McCreery <\/a>co-wrote nearly every song on his fifth studio album, <em>Rise and Fall<\/em> (out May 10 on Triple Tigers), but his steady hand throughout the writing process didn\u2019t come courtesy of the typical, regimented writing sessions on Nashville\u2019s Music Row.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe North Carolina native brought some of his closest songwriting collaborators, including Brent Anderson, Monty Criswell, Derek George and writer-producer Frank Rogers, on a writing retreat some 500 miles away from Music City, to McCreery\u2019s home outside of Raleigh.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s heaven on earth,\u201d McCreery told <em>Billboard<\/em> of the writing retreat. \u201cIt moves at a slower pace. It puts your mind in a creatively different space than a scheduled write at 11:00. It was just more of hanging out and seeing what happens. These are some of my favorite songs we\u2019ve ever written.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThat unhurried stretch of time led to hours of teasing out song ideas, fashioning melodies and refining lyrics \u2014 resulting in many of the album\u2019s songs such as \u201cFall of Summer\u201d and radio single \u201cCab in a Solo,\u201d which hit No. 2 on Billboard\u2019s Country Airplay chart. A later Nashville-based mini-retreat with many of the same writers, plus Jeremy Bussey and Bobby Hamrick, produced more of the album\u2019s songs, such as \u201cLonely\u201d and \u201cLittle More Gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8x4G9fzp0xM?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;fs=1&amp;hl=en-US&amp;autohide=2&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cFor me, having a personal connection to a song makes me believe it and feel it more,\u201d McCreery says. \u201cIt makes it feel like my album, as opposed to just a collection of songs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tMcCreery\u2019s commitment to quality songs has been key to his garnering five Country Airplay No. 1s, including the three-week chart-leader \u201cDamn Strait\u201d in 2022. Along the way, McCreery has made his devotion to country history known, following in the footsteps (and burnished vocal stylings) of genre forebears like Randy Travis and Keith Whitley on such songs as nostalgic 2018 hit \u201cFive More Minutes\u201d or the small-town ode \u201cWater Tower Town.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThat mission emanates throughout <em>Rise and Fall<\/em>. McCreery, 30, grew up immersed in \u201880s and \u201890s country sounds, which also happen to be experiencing a resurgence in the genre\u2019s modern day. Light-hearted fare such as \u201cStuck Behind a Tractor\u201d and \u201cAnd Countin\u2019\u201d mesh with heartbreak brushoffs such as \u201cLonely,\u201d the bluegrass-inflected album-closer \u201cPorch\u201d and the faith-filled \u201cRed Letter Blueprint.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s no secret why [the album] sounds that way, but we weren\u2019t chasing a certain sound,\u201d says McCreery, who is managed by Triple 8 Management\u2019s Scott Stem. His vision for the album was simpler: \u201cWe wanted to make country music. I said, \u2018Let\u2019s make an album that just feels good to me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TYm__B0-EVY?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;fs=1&amp;hl=en-US&amp;autohide=2&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThough another album track, the rowdy \u201cCan\u2019t Pass the Bar,\u201d doesn\u2019t share the seemingly requisite parenthesized title of songs like John Michael Montgomery\u2019s \u201cSold (The Grundy County Auction Incident)\u201d or Garth Brooks\u2019 \u201cAin\u2019t Goin\u2019 Down (\u2018Til The Sun Comes Up),\u201d it features a similar galloping pace that helped make those songs into classic hits \u2014 and a challenge for any vocalist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cI was thinking as we were writing it, \u2018Holy cow, this is going to be tough,\u2019\u201d McCreery says, \u201cbut I knew I wanted to write a song like that, because I grew up listening to those kinds of songs. The song was quick, so our minds were moving at a mile a minute, but it was a fun write. Once I tried to sing the demo, I was like, \u201cOh boy, this is going to be something to sing.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cNo Country for Old Men\u201d longs for the classic sounds of years gone by, and showcases McCreery sinking lower than ever into his deep bass register, while name-checking Conway Twitty\u2019s \u201cTight Fittin\u2019 Jeans,\u201d Ernest Tubb\u2019s \u201cWalking the Floor,\u201d and Merle Haggard\u2019s \u201cSwinging Doors.\u201d He wrote it during the retreat with Anderson, George, Rogers and Criswell.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cWe\u2019d had a long day of writing, some cold beers, and sat around the kitchen tables with our guitars and got to work,\u201d McCreery says. \u201cEverybody loved this idea and wanted to be in on it. It was fun to mention those names and weave in song titles and influences. I wish there was a camera filming us while we were writing the song. We were laughing, hootin\u2019 and hollerin\u2019 just with how it came together \u2014 it was a fun way to write a song.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AF2O_KPnGco?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;fs=1&amp;hl=en-US&amp;autohide=2&amp;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tSome of McCreery\u2019s biggest hits have drawn directly from his own story, such as \u201cFive More Minutes,\u201d inspired by his grandfather\u2019s death, and \u201cThis Is It,\u201d which highlights his love story with his wife Gabi. That arc continues on his new album, with the cover (the shot was taken at the same place in the North Carolina mountains where McCreery proposed to Gabi) as well as \u201cLove Like This,\u201d written after the couple welcomed their son Avery in October 2022.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cThe minute Avery was born, I just felt a different kind of love,\u201d McCreery says. \u201cSeeing your kid for the first time, I\u2019d never felt that feeling before. If you go back and look at the caption of the Instagram post I did after Avery was born, that was the caption \u2014 \u2018Never known a love like this.\u2019 This is my daddy song to Avery, and every time I listen to it, it still gets me choked up a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cHey Rose,\u201d the lone song on the album not from McCreery\u2019s pen, he had held onto for nearly 10 years. He was taken with the song\u2019s redemptive love story and tucked it away, hoping for the right time to record it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cWe were making a record when it got pitched to me [in 2015], but it didn\u2019t feel like it fit that album,\u201d McCreery says. \u201cWhen I was recording [<em>Rise and Fall<\/em>], we had an hour left in the studio and we pulled this song out. The whole band, everybody in the studio, was like, \u2018This has to make the record.\u2019 I pleaded with the label a little bit to let me have an extra song and they graciously agreed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tLike the album\u2019s title, McCreery has seen his share of career mountaintops and low points. His debut album, 2011\u2019s <em>Clear as Day<\/em>, spent six weeks atop <em>Billboard<\/em>\u2019s Top Country Albums chart and his debut country single \u201cI Love You This Big\u201d become a top 15 Country Airplay hit following his coronation as winner of the 10th season of <em>American Idol<\/em>. Afterwards, his career temporarily stalled, and he parted ways with Universal Music Group Nashville before signing with Triple Tigers in 2017. The WME client has painstakingly rebuilt his hitmaker status through his music and multiple headlining tours.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tIn late April, two of McCreery\u2019s heroes, Travis and Josh Turner, welcomed him as the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry \u2014 with that induction ceremony representing three generations of renowned singers who have remained committed to preserving and furthering country music\u2019s traditional sounds. Joining the lineage of more than 200 artists who have been part of the esteemed Opry family is a nod that keeps McCreery focused on what he does best \u2014 writing (and performing) country music.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\t\u201cI love writing songs. I love sitting down with a blank sheet of paper and a few hours later, you\u2019ve got a piece of art \u2014 it\u2019s a sense of accomplishment when you write something you\u2019re proud of,\u201d McCreery says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/country\/scotty-mccreery-rise-and-fall-new-album-1235678589\/\">Aller \u00e0 la source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Singer-songwriter Scotty McCreery co-wrote nearly every song on his fifth studio album, Rise and Fall (out May 10 on Triple Tigers), but his steady hand throughout the writing process didn\u2019t come courtesy of the typical, regimented writing sessions on Nashville\u2019s Music Row. The North Carolina native brought some of his closest songwriting collaborators, including Brent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musique","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82519\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}