Alan Jackson

[Kim]

Alan Jackson Reveals Track Listing for ‘Thirty Miles West’



Alan's Country Records/EMI Nashville


With the release of Alan Jackson’s long-awaited ‘Thirty Miles West’ just weeks way, the country superstar has divulged the official track listing for the 13-track album. The project, Jackson’s first under his own label Alan Country Records, in partnership with EMI Nashville, may be his 17th studio attempt, but the Georgia native admits he is still able to create a relevant album title that references his own person life.

“There’s this highway that’s been in existence for forever now — it’s called the Dixie Highway and it runs from north of Michigan all the way down to South Florida, and I wrote a song about it that’s on the album,” he explains. “I grew up on Highway 34 outside of Newnan, Georgia, and that’s where we came up with ‘Thirty Miles West.’ I think we were about thirty miles west of the official part of the Dixie Highway that runs through Georgia.”

When speaking about the album’s current radio offering, ‘So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore,’ Jackson says the connection to the song was instant. “At first, it raised the hair on my arms when I heard the demo,” he says. “It’s the kind of song that made me want to be in country music. I’m such a big fan of that kind of song. Sad songs, break-up songs and heartache songs are always the best ones to bring that emotion out … People are comparing it to a new ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today.’ I wouldn’t want to put myself in that category with George [Jones], but it is a great song.”

Written by esteemed songwriter Jay Knowles and Jackson’s nephew, Adam Wright, ‘So You Don’t Have To Love Me Anymore’ is Top 30 and climbing. ‘Thirty Miles West’ will hit store shelves and digital retailers on June 5.

Alan Jackson’s ‘Thirty Miles West’ Track Listing:

1. ‘Gonna Come Back as a Country Song’
2. ‘You Go Your Way’
3. ‘Everything But the Wings’
4. ‘Talk Is Cheap’
5. ‘So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore’
6. ‘Look Her in the Eyes and Lie’
7. ‘Dixie Highway’ (featuring the Zac Brown Band)
8. ‘She Don’t Get High’
9. ‘Her Life’s a Song’
10. ‘Nothin’ Fancy’
11. ‘Long Way to Go’
12. ‘Life Keeps Bringin’ Me Down’
13. ‘When I Saw You Leaving (for Nicey)’

[Kim]

Alan Jackson Keeps it Country With ‘Thirty Miles West’



With his new studio album ‘Thirty Miles West,’ Alan Jackson returns to the forefront of country music. His label home may have changed since the release of his last project more than two years ago, but Jackson’s reputation for constructing quality country albums remains intact 15 albums into his iconic recording career.

Claiming co-writing credits on six of the 13 tracks, Jackson admits the most personal is the closing tune, ‘When I Saw You Leaving (For Nisey).’ The heartbreaking song was written after witnessing his wife, Denise, go through agonizing chemotherapy and radiation cycles while battling cancer.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through,” Jackson tells the Chicago Tribune. ”I was taking care of her since she was about 17. I paid for her college and bought her a car before we were ever married. It’s almost like I half-raised her. I’ve always been taking care of her, and (the cancer) was the one thing I couldn’t do a thing about.”

“I couldn’t help her, other than to just be there with her, and that was really hard. It was just something that life brought us.”

Another featured tune Jackson holds in high regard is the project’s current single, ‘So You Don’t Have To Love Me Anymore.’ “At first, it raised the hair on my arms when I heard the demo. It’s the kind of song that made me want to be in country music,” he said.

“I’m such a big fan of that kind of song. Sad songs, break-up songs and heartache songs are always the best ones to bring that emotion out … People are comparing it to a new ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today.’ I wouldn’t want to put myself in that category with George [Jones], but it is a great song.” The song, which was written by Jay Knowles and Jackson’s nephew Adam Wright.

Similarly, ‘Gonna Come Back as a Country Song’ is another song Jackson hopes will serve as a beacon for traditional country music. “When I first heard that song, I thought it was a perfect fit for me,” confesses Jackson. “I’ve always stood up for country music.”

When it came to giving the collection a fitting title, Jackson reveals why ‘Thirty Miles West’ felt most appropriate.“There’s this highway that’s been in existence for forever now — it’s called the Dixie Highway and it runs from north of Michigan all the way down to South Florida, and I wrote a song about it that’s on the album,” he explains. “I grew up on Highway 34 outside of Newnan, Ga., and that’s where we came up with ‘Thirty Miles West.’ I think we were about thirty miles west of the official part of the Dixie Highway that runs through Georgia.”

Set to hit store shelves and digital retailers on June 5, ‘Thirty Miles West’ is Jackson’s first release under his own label, Alan’s Country Records, in partnership with EMI Nashville. Amongst his appearances during a media blitz in promotion of the project is a visit to CBS’s ‘Late Show With David Letterman’ on the album’s release day.

[grg_straitfan]

I bought tickets to go see Alan Jackson with Billy Currington! I am supper excited! I don't think I have been this excited about seeing anybody in concert since George Strait & Reba McEntire! I don't know that much of Billy Currington's songs. But I am familiarizing myself with them now! Me and my brother are going. He is the biggest Alan Jackson fan. So we are both really excited. The seats aren't great. Not sure if they are good. They are ok. But from my experience, if the seats are far away...the sound is waaay better. So here's to hoping that will be the case here too!

[Kim]

J-E-A-L-O-U-S!!!

Have fun - I've seen AJ live 4 or 5 times now - he's awesome!

[Kim]

Alan Jackson’s Thirty Miles West Debuts at No. 1


Alan Jackson’s new album, Thirty Miles West, debuted at the top of Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, making it Alan’s 13th release to debut in the top spot. Thirty Miles West also debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart, beat out only by Adele’s 21 album. This is Alan’s best debut week since the release of Good Time in 2008.

Thirty Miles West is already gathering critical acclaim. “Jackson handles both real-life drama and sly humor with laid-back grace – making Thirty Miles West another example of how to keep traditional country music relevant in modern times,” wrote the Associated Press. “No other artist of his generation deserves this destiny more, for no other has better represented the traditions of country music than this Georgia native.”

“Thirty Miles West is built on the twin pillars of Jackson’s trademark sound: country-soul ballads and twanging modern honky-tonk,” the Chicago Tribune said. “He may be surrounded on the charts by a sea of Nashville pop and rock artists, but Jackson remains a country traditionalist to the bone.”

Alan’s current single from the album, “So You Don’t Have To Love Me Anymore,” is inside the Top 25 at radio this week.

[Kim]

GAC Album Review: Alan Jackson’s Thirty Miles West


By Daryl Addison
gactv.com


Alan Jackson is consistent. Over the years, each new album cranks up like the truck you’ve had forever and trust to get you through it all. After parting ways with longtime label Arista Nashville in early 2011 (loooong time label, as in AJ was actually their first artist signed in 1989), Alan issues his debut release under his own Alan’s Country Records in partnership with EMI Records Nashville. Thirty Miles West, in stores on June 5, is classic Alan Jackson, full of his trademark neo-traditional sound, contemporary production and laid-back delivery.

“Gonna Come Back As A Country Song,” the album’s first track, breaks open with train whistle fiddle before the rhythm section kicks in with a bouncing honky tonk groove. Alan doesn’t force things vocally. Though his familiar drawl is vibrant, he sings for one measure and then lets the track breathe for the next. He’s a seasoned vet, and when he sings, It’d be heaven to me / Watching neon lights for eternity, the 53-year-old singer is 100% in his element, while his band is 100% in the pocket.

One of the most striking parts of Thirty Miles West is the relationship between Alan and the musical accompaniment that supports him. On “Everything But the Wings,” an acoustic ballad reminiscent of 2003’s “Remember When,” Alan’s voice floats above the tender notes, taking time to reflect before delivering each new poetic line dedicated to the angel in his life. “So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore” is a stark ballad wherein Alan’s willing to be the scapegoat at the end of a relationship. When you and our friends talk, make it all my fault, he sings with a meandering melody that draws its depth from his impeccable timing.

The album features a mixture of slow-burning honky tonks and more upbeat numbers that often draw a smile. “Her Life’s A Song” is a happy-go-lucky tale about a girl living life through her iPod playlist – complete with those joyous moments when nothing but a little air guitar will do. The album’s drinking song, “Long Way To Go,” is a lighthearted, twang-filled ‘drink-her-off-my-mind’ that recalls Alan’s hit “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” with Jimmy Buffet. I got a bug in my margarita, he sings with a smile, Seems bad luck won’t leave me alone.

Alan wrote five of the album’s 13 songs himself, including the epic “Dixie Highway” featuring fellow Georgian Zac Brown. The tune, which actually checks in at nearly seven-and-a-half minutes, is a raucous road song that is part travelogue, part honky tonk barnburner and part Southern Rock ecstasy via the Allman Bros. Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Both Alan and Zac sing with an infectious energy, building off each other, while every chorus is followed with some sort of solo that includes guitars, piano and banjo all taking turns.

Alan also penned the project’s heaviest song thematically, “When I Saw You Leaving.” Closing out the record, the song works through the strong emotions tied to a loved one’s illness. (Though Alan doesn’t explicitly state which one, he’s said in interviews that the song is about his wife Denise’s battle with cancer, which thankfully, is in remission.) It’s an introspective finish, but provides additional depth and an emotional sunset after a collection that featured several easygoing songs like “Nothin’ Fancy” and the humorous “Look Her In The Eye and Lie.” On Thirty Miles West, Alan comes through with a thoughtful collection that fans will love, due to the familiar voice of a longtime friend.

Key Tracks – “Dixie Highway,” “So You Don’t Have To Love Me Anymore,” “Gonna Come Back As A Country Song,” “Everything But the Wings”

[grg_straitfan]

[Kim]

Love it Tina!

[grg_straitfan]

[grg_straitfan]

[grg_straitfan]

[grg_straitfan]

[grg_straitfan]

Guess what fellow country music fans!?!?!?

8 days till the Alan Jackson & Billy Currington concert!!

[grg_straitfan]

[Kim]

Alan Jackson Prefers to Keep Things ‘Traditional’ on Christmas Morning


When it comes to Christmas traditions, Alan Jackson prefers to keep his yuletide routine as familiar and family-oriented as possible.

“Christmas is pretty traditional,” Jackson says of his family festivities (quote via The Boot). “We don’t let anybody open any presents until Christmas morning, after Santa Claus comes. We don’t let them get up on their own and take off.”

The family that celebrates together, stays together — at least that’s how the ‘So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore’ views his Christmas morning traditions. Jackson just celebrated 33 years of marital bliss with wife, Denise, The happy couple are the proud parents of three daughters.

“Everybody has to wait and kind of get situated and maybe have a cup of coffee; then we start all of the regular Christmas morning activities, opening presents, taking pictures and video,” shares the country music legend. “I try to keep Christmas music going in the background. I like to turn that on before I let them come down to the tree and everything.”

Adding to his traditional outlook on Christmas, Jackson keeps the true meaning of the holiday in mind when celebrating with his family. “ always try to remember Jesus’ birthday and just the whole thing and have a wonderful big meal, almost like Thanksgiving four weeks later,” says the singer. “We have the same … turkey, dressing, all the same kind of things. Sometimes we have family members in Tennessee and sometimes just us or friends. We always go home to Georgia prior to that.”

Fans still searching for last-minute gift ideas can check out ‘Seasons of Sweetbriar – A Photographic Collection of Home,’ the singer’s new book that features pictures from his former sprawling Nashville estate.

All proceeds from the coffee table book go to the Colon Cancer Alliance’s Blue Note Fund, an effort to raise awareness and monetary support for colorectal cancer patients. Jackson’s wife was diagnosed with the debilitating disease in 2010.