BC News|July 19, 2013 06:16 EDT
ACM Award-winning Duo JOEY+RORY Release All-new Inspirational Recording
Academy of Country Music (ACM) Award-winning husband and wife country duo Joey+Rory have just released an inspirational recording in partnership with Gaither Music Group.
Inspired, Songs of Faith and Family features all-new songs of faith, several of which were written or co-written by Joey and Rory; in addition, the recording includes the couple's unique arrangements of timeless gospel classics such as "In the Garden," "Amazing Grace," "Are You Washed in the Blood" and "Leave It There."
"Our faith is the most important part of our marriage and our lives," Joey states, "And we've always recorded a song about our faith on each album we've made. Church has always been a part of my life, and I remember my mom singing those old hymns when I was a little girl. I've always wanted to do a gospel album...our fans have been asking for a long time when we were going to record an album filled with songs about faith. Now is the time."
Recorded in a beautiful barn in Franklin, Tenn., south of Music City, just down the road from their Pottsville, Tenn. farm, Inspired, Songs of Faith and Family offers songs that those fans are sure to find moving.
"On the records we've made in the past, we've always gone into a recording studio and recorded using some of the best studio players in Nashville, but with this one we actually went into our friend's barn studio and recorded this whole album with just a few friends," explains Rory, who produced the new release with Joe West. "We did it a completely different way, a little more organic. It has a different feel and sound to it than the other records that we've done...mostly, I guess, because it was made in a space where Joey could cook the whole time we were recording. It has a full kitchen; and as we were recording, she was baking and cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner. We had to pull her away at times and say, 'Okay, go in the vocal booth and sing.' She'd sing the song and then go right back out and start cooking again."
True to the rootsy, tender country sounds for which they are known, the release was recorded with mostly acoustic instrumentation that includes fiddle, mandolin, acoustic guitar and stand-up bass, all of which become a backdrop for Joey's warm tones and the pair's signature harmonies.
The recording includes a cover of Michael Martin Murphy's "Long Line of Love" (co-written by Paul Overstreet with Thomas J. Schuyler) as well as a heart-stirring number "The Preacher and the Stranger," penned by Jerry Salley and Carl Cartee. The award-winning Isaacs are featuring on "Are You Washed in the Blood," and longtime friend Bill Gaither joins them for the song "Turning to the Light." The Inspired, Songs of Faith and Family DVD, which will hit the streets this fall, will include bonus fan favorite tunes such as "That's Important to Me" and "A Bible & a Belt."
Joey+Rory continue to keep the music-making right at home as they will soon be filming the third season of their hit tv series, "The Joey+Rory Show," one of the highest rated shows on the RFD-TV cable channel. The show, which is filmed in their now famous barn on their farm, is aired several times weekly. In addition, they recently kicked the summer off with their annual Bib & Buckle Fest, an event also held on their farm and attended by more than 1,500 music fans each year.