Write You a Song

Personnel: Jon Pardi (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, background vocals); Keith Gattis (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, gut-string guitar, mandolin); Joe Spivey (acoustic guitar, fiddle); Rob McNelly, Dan Dugmore, J.T. Corenflos (electric guitar); Jimmy Melton (banjo); Andy Leftwich (mandolin, fiddle); Jeneé Fleenor (fiddle); Howard Duck (accordion, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond b-3 organ, Wurlitzer organ); Tommy Harden, Brian Pruitt (drums, percussion); Howie Adams (percussion); Brett Beavers (programming); Terry Lee Palmer, Russell Terrell (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Ryan Gore.
Recording information: Ben's Studio; Big Gassed Studios; Blackbird Studios; Maverick Recording, Nashville, TN; Ocean Way Studios; Quad Studios.
Photographer: Russ Harrington.
A country traditionalist at heart, Jon Pardi is also fully aware that country, like most musical genres, is evolving, shifting and changing as the 21st century advances, taking on rock and pop traits like big drums and gritty electric guitars, while trading on a kind of nostalgia for an endless summer of breaking hearts and drinking beer on back-country dirt roads, the kinds of themes honky tonk, outlaw, and traditional country have always hung their hats on, really. Pardi is right there ready for the big time with Write You a Song, his debut album, which he co-produced with Bart Butler. Write You a Song is full of the beers, the back roads, and the all-night good times that go with partying until the paycheck's gone, and the whole thing has a country-boy swagger complete with brightly distorted electric guitars, all of which puts Pardi right in the Luke Bryan/Jason Aldean school of how to make radio-ready summer hits. Pardi has already gotten some play with a couple of the tracks here, "Missin' You Crazy" and "Up All Night," and the rest of the album fits the same groove, with titles like "Trash a Hotel Room," "Chasin' Them Better Days," "Empty Beer Cans," and "When I've Been Drinkin'" being somewhat indicative. Pardi has a strong country voice, and he knows what to do with a guitar, not to mention having a keen eye on what works for young country audiences. The playing, production, and sound on Write You a Song are solid and professional, with enough edge to keep it from being simply predictable. ~ Steve Leggett