Montgomery Gentry Albums (6)
'Back When I Knew It All'
Release Date 6/10/2008
Tracks 11
Label Sony
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Since they busted into the big leagues in 1999, Montgomery Gentry's five previous studio albums (and a greatest-hits collection) have all cracked the Country Top Ten. In addition, each album has been certified gold or platinum. Of the 20-plus singles they've released to date, 13 have landed in the Top Ten -- including the title track from 2008's Back When I Knew It All. It's a hell of a track record. Montgomery Gentry don't write much of their material, but they don't need to. They have a crack band and a formula that works. They combine good-time outlaw country, hard '70s-style Southern rock (although completely dressed and compressed for the 21st century), and a sense of friendly, next-door-neighbor jocularity on record and a sense of rave-up stadium rock theatricality on tour, making for dedicated -- perhaps even fanatical -- fans. Back When I Knew It All has a terrific lead single that's part nostalgic reverie, part morality tale dressed in a breezy melody and solid 4/4 beat. Another guaranteed fan-pleaser is "One in Every Crowd." It's an anthemic heartland rocker with a crowd-chanting chorus. Written by Eddie Montgomery, Ira Dean, and Kim Tribble, this is redneck John Mellencamp taken to an extreme. It's a song recorded to accompany a video if there ever was one. It's followed by "Look Some More," another big guitar (this time slide), big cinematic piano rocker that is reminiscent of .38 Special. It's another morality tale, where the protagonist speaks to his restlessness and aimless wandering through life without really getting anywhere -- as if confession were enough. The entire album centers on big rocking tunes this time out. There are message songs, but they are disguised as party ravers. There are the obligatory -- for this duo in particular but for contemporary country in general -- spiritually minded tunes like "Roll with Me," the truly bizarre nearly heavy metal opener "The Big Revival," and the beautiful closer "God Knows Who I Am." All of this said, Back When I Knew It All falls prey to what seems to be haunting Nashville in 2008: an album composed of nothing but singles without a unifying thread. The themes are all similar and the tracks are familiar and recognizable, and could be interchanged with songs from any of the duo's other albums, but they don't fit as one. Released in 2006, Some People Change cracked the Top Ten, but it was a bit disappointing saleswise -- despite the fact that it was the most realized, fully fleshed-out set by the group to date. Maybe that's why this recording feels more like a look back to the early days of Tattoos & Scars or Carrying On than it does a logical next step toward growth. The hardcore fans will love it, but this isn't the album that will win over many new ones. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Since the release of Tattoos & Scars in 1999, Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry have been making consistently fine country-rock records and videos (the latter thanks in large part to the wonderful director Trey Fanjoy). While their albums translate to CMT and GAC -- and of course to the Billboard charts -- the duo has never been comfortable making one kind of recording. They dig deep with their producers -- in this case Mark Wright is primary -- to find the best songs and let them rip. Guitars roar, wail, and whisper, and Montgomery Gentry's wonderfully contrasting voices and passionate, down-home delivery tie them to the great traditions of both rock and country. They've consistently sent out a message of tolerance -- but they demanded to be tolerated as well. (Do we ever need that message in a nation as deeply divided as the United States in 2006.) Each successive album has been a hit, and deservedly so. Some People Change, however, is a step above. These two fellas have a way with a song. Kenny Chesney was the first to record the wonderful "Some People Change" by Michael Dulaney/Jason Sellers/Neil Thrasher. Given that it's a great song, nobody could do a bad job with it, and Chesney's was better than decent. But it simply turns to gray in lieu of the treatment given it by Montgomery Gentry, with a blend of acoustic and electric guitars that wind together before Montgomery's deep baritone lays out the contrast in the lyric: "His ole man was a rebel yeller/Bad boy to the bone, he'd say/Can't trust that feller/He'd judge 'em by the tone/Of their skin...." A wah-wah peddle floats atmospherically and a synth slips in gently and Montgomery continues: "He was raised to think like his dad/Narrow mind, fulla hate/On the road to nowhere fast/Until the grace of God got in the way/And he saw the light and hit his knees and cried and said a prayer/Rose up a brand new man and left the old one right there...." The guitars build to an almost unbearable tension and finally break with a B-3 announcing Gentry's arrival on the refrain, which is an anthem: "Here's to the strong/Thanks to the brave/Don't give up hope/Some people change/Against all odds/Against the grain/Love finds a way/Some people change...." Simply put, the song addresses race, class, religion, and (later) addiction, as well as hope, tolerance, and the willingness to believe redemption is possible in any situation. When was the last time a country recording addressed topics like this in a single tune that opened an album? When a gospel choir enters near the end to join the pair on the refrain with soloing guitars and tight, clipped drums, it becomes transcendent. It's one of those tunes that defines something that lies at the heart of what is good about Americans. True to form, however, Montgomery Gentry aren't about to have their music co-opted by anybody -- left or right -- and the very next cut, "Hey Country," quotes from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Jr., Marshall Tucker, funk, and hip-hop, and is a true redneck rabble-rouser. Killer metal guitars, banjos, funky basslines, and chanted choruses all war with each other and finally come to an equal level to make this the best tune that's never been on rock & roll radio. "Lucky Man" is a pure country song, and it updates "I Ain't Got It All That Bad" from You Do Your Thing. Its protagonist -- Montgomery in this case -- is older, wiser, and even more grateful. Here again, it's a message tune, but one that is poignant no matter what color collar you wear, whether or not you support the President of the United States, and whatever religion you choose -- including none at all. The steel guitar whines ring above the impeccably recorded vocals while the electric guitars and tom-toms pop and jump to underscore the lyric.That's how the album goes, without a filler cut in the bunch. Other notables include a woolly country-rocker "It Takes All Kinds" -- it would be a great second single -- that also celebrates American difference. These guys know how to use a B-3, electric guitars, and drums as a basic function of carrying song lyrics, not as merely accompaniment. There are broken love songs ("Your Tears Are Comin'") and faithful ones ("If You Wanna Keep an Angel," a rock & roll country song with an amazing chorus of backing vocalists). There are paeans to lost fathers from stubborn -- and newly wizened -- sons ("20 Years Ago"), and a gorgeous ballad written by Montgomery called "Clouds." A piano carries his voice, cracking, breaking, and utterly sincere in its sadness and tenderness. When synths shimmer in the background, they don't intrude, just color. This is an elegy that, one more time, offers a portrait of the sheer diversity and range of this band's ability to deliver songs with conviction, sass, grit, and softness whenever necessary. Some People Change is one of the many things that's right with mainstream country music in the new millennium. It's brave and it looks for commonality, not to define people but to celebrate them. Its tone is balanced and even and wild and raucous, all at the same time. Country taught rock & roll plenty in the past and there is no doubt that rock & roll is influencing modern country presently -- and this album is a showcase of that. Both are the better for it. Some People Change is a new pinnacle for the duo. It feels like it was conceived as an album, not merely as a collection of songs or singles, and to the credit of Montgomery Gentry, they execute it like one. It's a masterpiece; listeners need more records that aspire to this kind of excellence. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On album number four, Troy and Eddie make no major breaks with the tried and true formula that weds solid modern country music to the long raucous tradition of redneck rock. But then again, they don't need to. It's true, they streamline it, rock it up, and bring in some more rock & roll, but essentially, these cats lay down 12 very solid tracks written by a slew of Nash Vegas songwriters, most notably Rivers Rutherford, Jeffrey Steele, and Bob DiPiero, who wrote the lion's share of the set. Steele and Rutherford also produced various tracks, as did Blake Chancey and Joe Scaife. But it all comes down to the performances, and Montgomery Gentry sing these songs like they were their own. And in a sense, now they are. The album opens with, Something To Be Proud Of, a reflective country song that looks at the past as a way of informing the present. It's got the anthemic chorus, but for the most part it digs deep into the heart of country music. The red, white, and blue individualism of the title cut may be hard for some fans to swallow -- but unlike many others who sing anthems to jingoistic patriotism or make self-righteous accusatory judgments in the name of political correctness (the other censorship), these good ol' boys offer tolerance at the heart of their message and insist on it in return. (And the roaring refrain is on a wailing par with that of "My Town.") The album's first single, "If You Ever Stop Loving Me," with its crunching guitars in the refrain, popping banjo in the verse, and even hip-hop scratching in the backdrop, is the summertime country-rock anthem for 2004. Rebel rock granddaddy Hank Williams, Jr. shows up on "I Ain't Got It All That Bad," a rootsy, moving statement of gratitude and acceptance that is the most resonant track on the set. There is also the sheer rock & roll roar of cuts like "If It's the Last Thing I Do" and "Gone," and the hillbilly craziness of "I Got Drunk," written by one of this album's guitarists, David Grissom. Grissom, who spent many years with Joe Ely and later starred with the John Mellencamp band, outshines virtually everyone here with his searing tone, in-the-pocket licks, and soulful fills -- and he never overplays. There are even a couple of old-school love songs here in "She Loved Me" and the midtempo ballad "All I Know About Mexico." Ultimately, this is easily the finest outing by modern country's most relevant duo; it rocks, it's soulful, and it's memorable. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The core of Montgomery Gentry's musical appeal lies in the duo's vocal contrast, alternating lead singing between the gruff low tenor of Eddie Montgomery and the sweeter high tenor of Troy Gentry. The core of their cultural appeal lies in another dichotomy, between the hell-raising and church-going aspects of stereotypical Southern rural life. "My Town," the leadoff track, title song, and advance single from their third album, concerns itself with the latter, depicting a small community in which you have to get up early on Sunday morning to be able to find a seat in church. But by the fifth track, the singers are having trouble keeping to the straight and narrow, deciding that they'll be "Bad for Good," and that song is a good candidate for a single, too. To a country fan, of course, there isn't that much of a conflict between the duo's rowdy Saturday night and reverent Sunday morning postures. In fact, they're two sides of the same coin. Similarly, to Montgomery Gentry, as to many fans, contemporary country music isn't just acoustic instruments and cheating songs, it's also the legacy of 1970s Southern rock. The session musicians number Allman Brothers Band alumni Chuck Leavell and Johnny Neel, and the album, which rocks harder as it goes along, concludes with a cover of "Good Clean Fun" from the Allmans' 1990 album, Seven Turns. Just as their image, with Montgomery decked out in a black jacket with tails and a big, flat-brimmed hat and Gentry in excessively casual wear, is calculated, so their musical approach is tempered. But the contradictions are the same ones their listeners live with every day. You may want to jump on the bar and yell "Hell Yeah," but "Montgomery Gentry supports responsible drinking," as a sleeve note discloses. And be early for church. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On their second album, Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry continue to resurrect the sound and persona of Southern rock and outlaw country performers like Charlie Daniels and the Marshall Tucker Band. They may not have been much involved in the songwriting for this album, managing one co-writing credit each along with Kenny Beard on "Lucky to Be Here" and spreading the rest of the writing among no less than 23 other names, but that large staff knew to craft a collection of songs full of boastful Southern pride and not a little belligerence. For the most part, the sentiments never go too far, restricting themselves to playful bluster, though on one occasion the duo takes on an issue it might have been better advised to leave alone. That's when, in "Carrying On," they sing, "It ain't nobody's business what kind of flag I fly 'cause that's my right." Getting into the Confederate flag controversy may well attract attention to them, but not necessarily the kind they want. Southern clannishness is one thing, but the Klan is another. That's the exception, however, since Montgomery Gentry usually is careful only to put on the airs of rebelliousness without actually being offensive. Similarly, the music never turns into real barroom stomp or bluesy country-rock, skirting the edge of a hard sound but never boiling over. That's why the correct comparisons are to softer acts like Charlie Daniels and Marshall Tucker rather than real rowdies like Hank Williams, Jr. and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Next time around, the duo ought to try varying the message a little bit; all these songs about what he-men they are make it sound like they're trying to hard to be macho, especially when the music doesn't entirely back up the boasts. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With all of the comparisons to Southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker, Charlie Daniels, the Outlaws, and so forth, this solid, hardcore rockin' honky tonk duo and their amazing band is an entity unto themselves. Eddie Montgomery (brother of John Michael) and Troy Gentry are equal parts country music that comes from Merle Haggard, George Jones, Wynn Stewart, Dwight Yoakam, and even Hank Williams. At the same time, they play a scorching brand of rock & roll that has everything to do with the aforementioned heroes of the 1970s and the Allmans too because the blues are at the root of everything they do. This is an auspicious debut album, one that not only shows promise, but delivers the goods in the form of great songs written by a host of Nash Vegas' and Texas' finest -- if unknown new breed -- and absolutely tremendous performances. Check the hard rocking opener, "Hillbilly Shoes," with its flatpicking guitar intro supplanted by overdriven fiddles and screaming dual lead guitars. And "Trying to Survive" with its guitar, pedal steel, and piano fills is reminiscent of the feel, not sound, of Tucker's "Can't You See." It's easy to embrace Tim McGraw and a host of others who use rock & roll as way of framing their country music, but Montgomery Gentry don't use rock; they are a rock band who make country music, real country music. Check the gorgeous chorus on "Lonely and Gone" that is commenced with a heavy metal guitar intro only to become a gorgeous mid-tempo ballad. Other tracks, like "Self-Made Man," are pure modern honky tonk. Vocally, the harmonies between this pair are a perfect balance of beer and fine whiskey. Montgomery's rough hewn baritone and Gentry's almost unreal range and trademark phrasing make something highly original in the face of so much cookie-cutter Nash Vegas big-hatted crap. The funky blues on "Daddy Won't Sell the Farm" with those fiddles and pedal steels wrapping around a greasy keyboard line lead into a rebel Southern son's admiration for a man and a way of life that is quickly disappearing. The drums propel the tune forward, and the guitars fill what little space there is with rollin' and tumblin' blues. The Bakerfield honky tonk of "I've Loved a Lot More Than I've Hurt" is as traditional as it gets, and Jones or Yoakam could have cut it. The title track is a great morality tale, and "Trouble Is" is a Gentry showcase with his singing tenor in the hillbilly groove that is equal parts blues, tonkin' stride, and arena rock. Montgomery Gentry should be nothing less than amazing in a few years if they keep this up, because this is solid, ass-kickin' country-rock. This is one of the best pop records of the year. Period. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
