When figuring out how to fully appreciate Jerrod Niemann 's new album, Free the Music , it's best to take a cue from lyrics from the title track: "Yougotta free your mind/It's party time." Niemann's second studio album, released last week, takes listenerson a wild and quite enjoyable ride featuring unpredictable musicaltwists and turns. Co-producing the project with friend Dave Brainard, Niemann payshomage to country's roots with everything from acoustic guitars andfiddles to horns. Some of the 12 tracks are traditional country,while others embrace rock, reggae and even Dixieland jazzinfluences. Describing the album as a "hybrid of old school and new school,"Niemann and Brainard used CLASP technology during the recordingprocess. The aptly-named equipment "allows you to record analog anddigital at the same time simultaneously -- it's like a hybrid,"Niemann explains.
With the help of this innovative tool, the sound of Free the Music is much more robust and unfiltered compared to many currentcountry albums. The music serves as a complimenting sidekick toNiemann's vocal prowess. The artist's unique approach to recording Free the Music began two years ago. "I've already studied country songwriting and the artists as a kid,clear back to the '20s, but never really thought about some of thetextures and tones that everybody was using," he explains.
"I neverreally had a reason." Niemann's newfound knowledge led to him traveling with athree-piece horn section and performing more than 400 shows duringthe last two years. He even used his live band on the album insteadof studio musicians. "I thought if I get that analog sound, then maybe we could borrowsome of those instruments from the '30s, '40s, '50s -- but recordthem on songs that we've written now that are maybe even pushingthe envelope a little more than normal." Niemann found success with his first studio album Judge Jerrod & the Hung Jury . The album, along with track "Lover, Lover" reached No.
1 while the follow-up, "What Do You Want" was a Top 5 single. "The first album that we put out was definitely a concept recordand unconventional, and the country music fans and radio and othermedia outlets were kind enough to embrace it," he says. "And itshowed us that we were able to be different." And so with the backing of his label, Sea Gayle Records/AristaNashville, Niemann began working on Free the Music . Asked if his label was hesitant about his distinctive plans for theproject, Niemann recalls, "They said, 'You know what? Why don't youjust do what you do?' And obviously that was the only pressure Ihad because I wanted them to believe in it. "There's a lot of music lovers in that building," he continues,"and that definitely means a lot to me, especially when you'regoing in and taking chances." On the new album, Niemann's attention to detail is obvious.
Thefirst and last tracks even feature the same horn arrangement --creating a seamless experience for fans listening to the album onrepeat. Though it includes a wide array of styles, each song on Free the Music seems to effortlessly flow into the next. A task that was no doubtconsciously considered. "When you're writing a song, you just know in your stomach whensomething's right," he says.
"I usually know bits and pieces onwhere songs should land, but as the album's getting closer to theend, if we're missing a song or two, I'll actually write in thedirection of what I think we're missing on the album and sometimeseven in the certain key of a song to match what we're looking for." As a songwriter, Niemann has penned tunes for Garth Brooks , Blake Shelton , Lee Brice , Jamey Johnson and John Anderson . And on his own album, the entertainer wrote or co-wrote everytrack. "It wasn't because I thought, 'Oh, I'm the songwriter that mustwrite it all,' he explains. "I mean after all, "Lover, Lover," wasa cover." Instead, Niemann chose to work closely on the songs because of thespecific vision of the album. "I knew that if I was going to at least pull it off content-wise,that I had to really, really, really dig in," he says.
Niemann's current single, "Shinin' on Me," serves as the first release from the album and is among thesinger's favorite tracks to perform live. Though it has a summertime feel to it, Niemann emphasizes the tuneis much more than a seasonal jam. "The song is a metaphor basically saying, 'Hey, the world isn'talways going to go in the direction that you want it to go, andsometimes it's OK to hit pause and enjoy the moment with the peoplethat you're around.'" One of the album's standout tracks is "Only God Could Love YouMore," written by Niemann, Brice and Jon Stone. Using Niemann'soriginal tracking vocal and void of harmonies, he says whenperforming it live "it's challenging to sing.
The crowd seems todig it." He also joined forces with Colbie Caillat on "I'm All About You," a tender ballad with a jazz feel. "I was sort of in fantasyland, and I thought that Colbie would singwith me," Niemann says. "But she was sweet enough to do it. She wasactually on the road and set up some sort of ProTools rig in herhotel and sang her part in the hotel room. So that just shows youwhy she's a Grammy award-winning artist.
She can pull that off." Tracks including "Get on Up," "I'll Have to Kill the Pain" and "ItWon't Matter Anymore" serve as entertaining tunes about escapinglife's stresses. On the other hand, "Guessing Game" tells the storyof a jilted lover determined to get the last laugh. Niemann adds track "Honky Tonk Fever" to his list of favorites toplay before an audience because "we get to kind of roll out some ofthe Dixieland horns," which he says helps make shows moreinteresting. "I always approach performing as a fan because I've been to manyconcerts, and I love music and love watching all my heroes play,"he says. "So what you just realize is that there's always somethingto learn." Having previously toured alongside country staples includingShelton, Brad Paisley , Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley , he says with a laugh, "I learned basically what to do onstagefrom Brad Paisley and what not to do backstage from Blake Shelton.".
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