Dt: November 15, 2016
HOYT HUGHES
CUT BY CUT:
RISING COUNTRY SINGER, SONGWRITER AND GUITARIST
TALKS ABOUT THE SONGS ON HIS DEBUT ALBUM
‘COWBOY’
Emerging country singer, songwriter and guitarist HOYT HUGHES, released his debut album COWBOY, September 9, via Cowboy Records, a division of Los Angeles-based Emmy Award-winning Production Partners, Inc. Click here to watch the video for “Let It Rain,” which was premiered at DigitalRodeo.com. “Let It Rain” is the lead single from the album… entire album available digitally via iTunes here and Amazon here.
The 16-track COWBOY album, produced by multi-platinum and award-winning producer, Kevin Savigar (Rod Stewart, Jo Dee Messina, Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp), spotlights HOYT’s musical sound…a mix of country styles from the ‘90s through now, with a traditionalist feel. The album features special vocal collaborations with Taylor Dayne, Carnie Wilson, and Fisher with songs solely written or co-written by HOYT, in addition to songs penned by notable songwriters Bob DiPiero, Troy Jones and Natalie Hemby, among others. With his roots planted in Lakeland, Florida, HOYT also splits his time between Los Angeles and Nashville; drastically different cities which parallel his diverse musical tastes. HOYT’S musical influences include: Don Williams, George Jones, Beatles, Keith Urban, Elvis, Chris Stapleton and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Says HOYT: “You know life is Truly a Gift when just a few months ago I was working swing shift at a power plant…and then it seems… just like that… through Grace…Production Partners decides to gift me the chance of a lifetime! The kind of chance that movies are made of, WOW! We now have a 16 song Album and 10 of those are originals! It’s an unbelievable, surreal moment, that I will always cherish and strive to make all those that supported me, proud!”
Below HOYT talks about all the songs on COWBOY:
Let It Rain: “A good friend of mine loved a woman that was in an abusive relationship and he was hoping one day she would see the light and maybe leave that guy…and give my friend a chance.”
Stop Right There: “A bluesy tune about a guy who wanted the girl… but wasn’t sure if she wanted him.”
Every Kinda Way: “A song that’s meant as a compliment to a strong, but graceful woman. Like Audrey Hepburn, Oprah Winfrey… or especially, Loretta Lynn!”
Surrender: “Taylor Dayne co-wrote this song with Nashville writers, and wanted to sing it with me, so of course I jumped at the chance. Savigar loved the song and its power as a duet. Singing with Taylor on a song so different from anything I’ve done was a challenge…Taylor is such a powerhouse vocally! Getting to know Taylor and her gracious and fun personality was such a rare and unexpected musical moment for me. A mind-blowing gift to work with her.”
Raise The Roof: “An awesome anthem song. I had previously recorded a demo of it that Cowboy Records and Kevin Savigar fell in love with. I was thrilled to sing this as the closing song to a Habitat for Humanity fundraiser in Los Angeles as my first on stage performance in California! And for such a great cause!”
More Country Than You: “This song was influenced by Cowboy Records. They had heard so many country songs about pick-up trucks and said, “Whatever you do, please don’t write a damn song about a truck or a bar !!!” So, jokingly, I started making up a song on the spot…‘this ain’t another song about a pick up truck, this ain’t a song about a bar’ and as I was doing so, we started writing everything down. The idea being that, you don’t have to be a typical country person to have country in your soul…there’s country folks all over the USA in every state!”
Red White Blue: “I was deciding whether to write a patriotic song about small town USA, or a song about the whole country…as soon as Travis and I started writing, it just flowed out about our love of this great land and total support for our troops.”
Smash It: “I love singing this song…it was influenced by race cars and well, maybe sex. I was considering writing a song about a party in a bar and it became bigger than a small party and more exciting like being at an NHRA or NASCAR type event. Looking forward to singing this on a stage surrounded by race cars!”
California High: “This song is about giving everything you have to someone but still it seems it’s never enough to win their love. Hovering on that ledge between giving more…or giving up, going crazy trying to figure it out… or staying sane by letting it out!”
All Good In The Woods: “Just a really great feel-good song, written by awesome Nashville writers. Everyone can hopefully relate to the simple joy in it. It was previously recorded as a demo, and a buddy of mine at the power plant [where I used to work in Lakeland, Florida] put it on YouTube for me, and is the reason Production Partners chose to work with me. I will always be grateful to this song for capturing the interest of L.A. producers. Now the new version has Fisher on it, and is produced by Kevin Savigar. A real dream come true.”
Give In To Me: “Great country love song from the movie soundtrack ‘Country Strong.’ That movie soundtrack has so many amazing songs on it, written by amazing Nashville writers. Getting to sing with Carnie Wilson (and become friends) was incredibly special.”
Still With Me: “This one is about that person you really care about and have spent years with. If you had the chance to go back, you wouldn’t change things but would give more time, and simple gestures of kindness, to the other person.”
Of Me And You: “This song is very special as well…I co-wrote it with my brother, Travis, and when the orchestra kicks in, it gives me goose bumps every time. Travis was overwhelmed when he heard it!”
Drinking Song: “Well, hell–everyone should have at least one drinking song! We don’t need to be so complicated!!!”
Time Won’t Tell”: “What a powerful song and to have a chance to sing with just Kevin Savigar on piano…well it’s so pure. One of the songwriters on this song had a deeply personal reason for writing it…and the pain in the song really breaks my heart. Singing it was very moving and the songwriter loves the simplicity of the multiple pianos on it. We like to think of it as one of the saddest songs ever written.”
Timing Is Everything: “Another great song from the ‘Country Strong’ soundtrack. We are fans of all the music in that film and this song has a very special personal meaning to all of us for different reasons. After hearing the song the first time, it described my life as well…I feel a lot of people will relate to it for their own reasons. Timing really IS everything and the writers of this song are brilliant song writers in Nashville. I wish I had written it!!!”
For more information on HOYT HUGHES, visit:
facebook.com/cowboyrecordsburbank
hoythughesmusic.com
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For press inquiries regarding HOYT HUGHES, contact:
MSO PR
818.380.0400
Mitch Schneider // mschneider@msopr.com
Mike Gowen // mgowen@msopr.com
Lyndie Wenner (Nashville) // lwenner@msopr.com
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