We have neither honkeyed or, for that matter tonkeyed, for a while – well, that’s all about to be remedied. Tyler-James Kelly’s debut album ‘Dream River‘ has a definite feel of a ’70s take on honkey-tonking which Kelly feels is due to getting the right musicians together including Will Van Horn on pedal Steel, and former Dixie Chick’s drummer, Bart Lingley – along with a list of renowned musicians that delivered a range of string instruments to the table. ‘Big Dreams’ is the second single from the album, and relates the crushing of the spirit in a small town – whether that’s just small town attitudes or the many constraints that exist solely by having less metaphorical (and actual) avenues to explore. As Kelly himself noted: “It felt good to record as I’ve always liked the message of it. Taking a leap out of the small town mentality and being yourself. Don’t let the bastards get you down kind of thing.”
‘Dream River‘ was recorded at Dead Pop Studios in Providence, Rhode Island, and is released today.
As the Sirius DJ said, “for those who say there isn’t any “country” music anymore, put this in your pipe and smoke it.” Great stuff!