Written by Maria Sherman
NEW YORK (AP) Consider yourself from a little Texas town with aspirations of becoming a country music sensation. Imagine tenfold success in achieving those goals: You have a number of platinum hits to your name, as well as a couple Academy of Country Music Awards and a CMT Music Award. What comes next?
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It presents new challenges if you’re Parker McCollum. Beyond his wildest dreams, he reveled in the carte blanche that comes with having the ability to do as he pleases. The 33-year-old singer’s self-titled album, his fifth full-length opus, will be released on Friday.
Regarding the album, he states, “I would hang my hat on this record seven days a week.” I’ve never been more focused in my life.
Although he is now confident, the path to the record Parker McCollum wasn’t always smooth. With producer Jon Randall, a longstanding partner, he first made a half-length album. It wasn’t functioning. According to McCollum, I felt at ease. “I have to go get as uncomfortable as I can,” I thought.
In a week, he recorded what would become the final album after throwing everything away, traveling to New York, and working with a new producer, Frank Liddell (Miranda Lambert, Lee Ann Womack, and Chris Knight).
When you speak it aloud, it sounds completely absurd, McCollum claims. Although it’s a weird approach, I believe it was successful.
The fact that McCollum wrote the majority of the songs was helpful. At the age of 15, I wrote Permanent Headphones. In 2019, I penned My Blue. “Last year, I wrote a lot of songs,” he explains. They still cut a few tunes every day. He attributes the success of the record to Liddell’s ability to bring out the best in him and to the hardworking spirit of New York.
He describes the city as “glistening” while he is there. When I was in high school, I had a dream that I would be cutting albums for a major label in New York City, and it would be like a movie. I simply made the decision to try and achieve it, you know.
From the slow-building John Mayer-esq. song “New York Is On Fire” to more country-and-then-some songs like “Solid Country Gold,” “Sunshiny Days,” and “What Kinda Man,” the album has that energy.
The album’s only feature is a passionate rendition of Danny O. Keefe’s folk classic, Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues, with fellow Texan vocalist Cody Johnson. “I’ve listened to that song all my life,” McCollum claims.
“That song is going to be cut at some point in my career,” he thought. Now is a good time to make it.
The story’s beginning The first song McCollum and Liddell recorded in the studio was “My Blue.” According to McCollum, it was easy, and then the worst thing that could have happened occurred. They assumed the remainder of the process would be simple, but that isn’t the case. The next six and a half days were nothing but an emotional slog. However, there is no other way I would have it.
And experimenting followed. Being a country singer has always been my dream.And the more I hear what I do, the more I think, I find it difficult to define what country music actually is these days, and this doesn’t sound like it to me.Simply said, it’s not as narrow as it formerly was. However, I feel as though I no longer give a damn. I might not be a country singer, you know. I’m not sure. I no longer use a (expletive). Whatever it is that I sound like, I want to do it, you know.
as long as the music evokes a feeling in you.
Since the publication of his debut album, The Limestone Kid, ten years ago, listeners have been able to relate to that.
“To release music that hits you where music hits me really eats at me,” he explains. I truly love the pursuit and the journey of wondering if my music will be good enough. I’m looking for the answers.
