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Category: Music
Country Music Hall of Famer Ricky Skaggs returns with his first new release in over a decade with the powerful “Say A Prayer.”
Out now via Skaggs Family Records and distributed by Virgin Music Group, the song was written by Gordon Kennedy and Ben Cooper in response to the struggles impacting communities worldwide. The track explores themes of faith, reflection, and coming together.
Ahead of the song’s release, Skaggs spoke with Country Now backstage at CMA Fest, where he joined Carly Pearce and Molly Tuttle for a special performance of “From Now On” on the Nissan Stadium stage. Moments before taking the stage, the 15-time GRAMMY winner shared the story behind the song, revealing that he originally recorded it more than 15 years ago with plans to include it on his 2010 album Mosaic.
“It’s a song I recorded right at the end of a gospel CD that I did called Mosaic…we recorded it but just didn’t feel like it was to go on that CD. And so we’ve held onto it for all these years,” Skaggs revealed.
The eight-time CMA Award winner explained that he felt now was the perfect time to release the song given the current state of the world.
“But right now with the way the world is, the way everything’s going on in our world, in our life, I felt like it was the right time for a message like ‘Say A Prayer’ because it talks about war. It talks about greed and it talks about all these things,” he shared. “I see the self-made reach for the top, always an uphill climb. I see the humble down on their knees and a God who listens every time we say a prayer.”
In a statement, Skaggs further explained the meaning behind the song, saying, “The song addresses a world carrying a lot of grief right now, serving as a universal call for everyone to stop and lean into faith.”
“Say A Prayer” blends country, bluegrass, and rock influences, featuring a unique mix of instrumentation including sitar, fiddle, mandolin, and banjo. The track also includes background vocals from Skaggs’ daughter, Molly.
“It’s just a great song and performance,” he added.
The release comes during a busy stretch for Skaggs, who continues to bring his music to stages across the country. In addition to his own headlining dates, Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder are currently performing alongside Dierks Bentley during select stops on the Off The Map Tour. He’ll also return to Nashville’s iconic Ryman Auditorium on July 21 for the closing night of the Bluegrass Nights at the Ryman series.
The post Ricky Skaggs Shares the Story Behind ‘Say A Prayer,’ His First New Release in Over a Decade appeared first on Country Now.
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Today, Cole Goodwin is rolling out his Howdy EP, a project rooted in classic country influences and inspired by the traditional sounds of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Filled with authentic storytelling and timeless vocals, the EP reflects Goodwin’s commitment to keeping the heart of country music alive.
Born and raised in Pooler, Georgia, Goodwin has never wavered from the era that shaped his musical taste, often drawing inspiration from artists like Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Hank Jr. and Ronnie Milsap. Those influences run deep throughout the EP, which includes tracks “Howdy,” “Girl That’s How,” “Where She’s Coming From” and “Keep On Rainin’.”
“I mean, if you think about it, it worked so good and it still works 30, 40 years later and everybody still loves it. And I think that there’s something to be said about that,” Goodwin said of his effort to tap into the nostalgic country sound. “So anytime I can dive into that and try to tap into get as close as I can get to something that feels like that or makes somebody else feel like that, how it makes me feel when I hear those great old songs, that’s what I want to do.”
The title track, “Howdy” has already been making waves across live audiences and as of this week, it also made a strong impact at country radio, earning 56 first-week adds.
“Yeah, that’s pretty mind-blowing to me and I’m super excited about it,” he told Country Now, reflecting on the support behind the single.
Goodwin serves as a co-writer on two of the four tracks on the new project. Whether he had a hand in bringing them to life or was lucky enough to cut them as his own, he said the collection of songs came together naturally. He admits while each song brings something different to the table, both sonically and lyrically, they all relate to his life in some way.
“Obviously they’re all country, but I think most importantly, they’re all me and songs that I connect to and that I think is super great and special. And so yeah, they’re sonically maybe all a little bit different, but they’re all authentic and all genuine and me. I’m super proud of it and super excited for everybody to hear all of them and to play them on the road,” he shared honestly.
Fans have already become familiar with the charming and humorous story behind “Howdy,” as Goodwin describes a simple moment in a bar between two strangers that turns into a fun, feel-good lesson about what could come from taking a shot and seeing where the night goes. The track was penned by four of his good friends, Justin dukes, Davis Loose, Carson Peters and Ethan Phillips.
“They were gracious enough to let me cut it. One of them sent it to me or played it for me about a year and a half ago, I guess. And I was like, ‘wow man, send me that please and don’t send that to anybody else.’ And yeah, I just kept listening to it and I thought it was such a great song…I tell them, ‘it’s like, y’all wrote this for me’ because language wise, attitude wise, it’s just all stuff that I would say. And it’s very much, I think, my personality. And yeah, I just really, really connected with it and thought that it was an incredible song and I wanted to sing it.”
He leans even further into the idea of falling in love on “Girl That’s How,” where a country guy wants to show the woman he cares about what life with him is really like by taking her around his small hometown, meeting his family and enjoying the simple things in life that matter most to him. It shows a softer, more romantic side of Goodwin and serves as a reminder that old-school chivalry might not be dead after all.
Second to last on the EP is the unreleased track “Keep On Rainin’,” which flips the idea of the familiar “Rain, Rain, Go Away” saying on its head. What sounds like it could be a sad song instead turns into an upbeat, high-energy “barn burner,” as Goodwin puts it, that finds him asking for the rain to stick around instead of wishing it would go away.
“Honestly, until after the fact, I didn’t even really realize that I’d done that in the room that day and maybe that’s why it felt familiar, but in the room, I wasn’t really thinking, let’s do the ‘Rain, Rain Go Away’ thing until after. And I was like, wait a minute, we actually did do that,” he said, thinking back to the writing session with Jessi Alexander and Jonathan Singleton.
Then the collection takes a sharp turn to showcase a more somber side of heartbreak as it comes to close with the emotional ballad, “Where She’s Coming From,” which digs into the painful realization that a relationship has run its course and the flame has burned all the way out.
‘Howdy’ Complete Track List:
1. Howdy
Written by: Justin Dukes, Davis Loose, Carson Peters, Ethan Phillips
2. Girl That’s How
Written by: Kevin Denney, Tom Botkin, Mike Rogers
3. Keep On Rainin’
Written by: Cole Goodwin, Jessi Alexander, Jonathan Singleton
4. Where She’s Coming From
Written by: Cole Goodwin, Wyatt McCubbin, Erik Dylan
Cole Goodwin’s Howdy EP dropped June 26 via Big Machine Records. The collection arrives amid a busy touring year for the rising star. He is fresh off a run supporting Vincent Mason and has plenty of festival appearances still ahead, along with nationwide support dates with Carly Pearce, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, and Braxton Keith on select shows.
With all the major acts that Goodwin has had the chance to open for so far, he says getting to experience different tours and fan bases has been a major highlight of the journey.
“It’s just been really awesome and interesting to take notes from everybody and these people that young artists like myself look up to, to just rub elbows with them and pick their brain and take notes on how they treat it this many years into it or however many years into it they are…Never thought that I would get to play some of the stages that we’ve done and some of the venues and with some of the artists that we’ve played with. And I get to call some of them friends now, which is really crazy. So yeah, it’s one of those things you just kind of have fun and soak it in.”
Goodwin promises that his EP is just the start of all the new music he has in the works. He promised there is “a ton” coming that he is “super, super excited about.”
The post Cole Goodwin Shares New EP, ‘Howdy,’ Rooted in Traditional Country Sounds and Authentic Storytelling appeared first on Country Now.
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