While thinking of which CD I would like to review next I checked Epinions to read the reviews on Montgomery Gentry’s My Town. I was surprised to see only two express reviews. I thought for sure that my friend Mattbjorke, a fellow country music reviewer, would have already done a review on the CD.

Montgomery Gentry is made up of Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry. They grew up in Lexington, Kentucky and came together to form a group. You may have heard of John Michael Montgomery, who is the brother of Eddie. Montgomery Gentry is a group that I have grown to love.

They are what I would call the rowdy, bad boys of country music. It has been said that they have a ”hardcore, raw-edged country sound”. At their website in their bio section they are described as ”people who work hard, love hard, party hard and if life is hard, refuse to buckle under”.

My Town is the third CD released by Montgomery Gentry. It was released in 2002.

Tracks:

1. My Town (Piano Intro)
2. My Town
3. Break My Heart Again
4. Scarecrow
5. Bad For You
6. Speed
7. Hell Yeah
8. Lonesome
9. Why Do I Feel Like Running
10. Free Fall
11. Lie Before You Leave
12. For the Money
13. Good Clean Fun

About the Songs:

My Town has an awesome piano introduction which they made into the first track on the CD. My Town is one of my favorite Montgomery Gentry songs. It’s a song about small town life and how things have changed. It’s a fast beat song with some neat background vocals. ”(Na, na, na, na, na.) - Yeah, this is my town.-(Na, na, na, na, na.) - Hey! - Where I was born, where I was raised. - Where I keep all my yesterdays. -Where I ran off 'cos I got mad, - An' it came to blows with my old man. - Where I came back to settle down, - It's where they'll put me in the ground: - This is my town. - (Na, na, na, na, na.) - Yeah, this is my town. - (Na, na, na, na, na.) - My town.” Break My Heart Again is a song about having your heart broke. ”Things aren't good unless they're bad - And I ain't happy 'til I'm sad -When I see the good life closing in - I go and break my heart - Break my heart again”. It’s a really catchy song that kind of makes you feel sad.

Scarecrow is written from the eyes of a scarecrow who is a dreamer. ”One of these days I'm gonna run - I'm gonna leave these fields behind to find what's over the horizon - One of these days I'm gonna go - When you look at me you're not gonna see - A scarecrow”. This song has a “country life” feel to it. Bad For You is a bad boy song. It’s a “man’s song”. It’s about a guy who tried to change his ways for his woman. He decided he just couldn’t do it and went back to his wild ways. ”So bring on the whiskey - Turn up the jukebox loud - These boots were made for tonkin' -Warn every woman around - We're gonna wind it up tonight - A little tighter than we should -Yeah, for better or worse- We're gonna be bad for good”. It has a lot of fast playing piano in it. It reminds me of something you would hear in a hotel bar.

Speed is another one of my favorite Montgomery Gentry songs. It’s about a guy trying to get over a girl. He wants to buy another car to replace his memories he had in his truck with his girl. ”I'd like to trade in this old truck - Cause it makes me think of her and that just slows me up - See, it's the first place we made love where we used to sit and talk - On the tailgate all night long but now she's gone - And I need to move on - So give me - Speed - How fast will it go - Can it get me -Over her quickly - Zero to sixty - Can it outrun her memory - Yeah, what I really need - Is an open road - And a whole lot of speed”. I remember the first time I heard Hell Yeah. I thought what in the world is this doing on a country radio station. It sounds like rock to me. It’s not your typical country song. The more I’ve listened to it though the more it’s grown on me. It’s not a great song to play around your kids unless you don’t mind them singing ”Hell Yeah”. Once you hear it it’s hard not to join in and sing with it. The song is about a Vietnam vet and a lady with a MBA who both go to the same bar. They both go to get their mind off of the week. He is a “product of the Haggard generation”. She is a big time executive with an attitude. ” Hell yeah! - Turn it up! - Right on! - Hell yeah! - Sounds good! - Sing that song! - Guitar man playin' all night long - Take me back to where the music hit me - Life was good and love was easy” This is one of those songs you want to turn up loud. It’s a fun, partying song.

Lonesome is a sad song about being alone. It has a great sound of drums and guitars. It’s about a couple that went through a divorce. He is going crazy without her especially when reality sets in. ”One coffee cup, one toothbrush - One set of keys, one car out in the drive - One half of the closet empty - One half of the bed cold at night - One of us just up and disappeared - That only leaves one of us 'round here – Lonesome - Can drive a man insane –Lonesome - It's the sad part of the game- Win some, lose some – Lonesome”. Why Do I Feel Like Running is one of the tracks that I don’t like on the album. The lyrics just don’t seem right for Montgomery Gentry. I don’t think this song fits them.

Free Fall is a song about someone with an alcohol problem. ”It's a free fall - When your back's against the wall - When you hit rock bottom and the bottom drops out - How's a man supposed to stand tall - Well the high life ain't my life - I can't walk a line and I damn sure ain't gonna crawl - Just living in a free fall”. Lie Before You Leave is another one of the sad leaving songs of country music. Every country album needs a couple of ‘em. You know what I mean?

For the Money is a song talks about his Daddy being a farmer and how he could have made so much more money working for someone else. The song tells how the money isn’t really the important thing though. It’s too often though that people are in it for the money. It’s about finding a job to do just because you like the job. ”You can't be in it for the money - Money comes and money goes - You can't be in it for the money - Oh, you got to satisfy your soul”. I love the lyrics in this song especially where it says that “everybody’s got a purpose”. It really has a great meaning. There is several parts in the song that are spoken. Good Clean Fun is a fast, loud song with a lot of guitar. It’s about a man looking for a woman for the night for some fun. I don’t care for this song either. It also has a rock sound to it.

Final Thoughts:

I think there are a lot of people who don’t typically like country music that would enjoy this CD. It has a nice mix of simple life, heartbreak, drinking and fun, loving and leaving. I love how in a couple of the songs Eddie calls Troy “T-Roy”.

I think Eddie and Troy sound great together. Their voices really blend together great. Eddie does many of the primary vocals for the CD, but Troy has his share here too. If you’d like to hear some country with a little bit of a rock edge you will find it on this CD. Eddie and Troy are working on their fourth CD and I can’t wait to hear it.

For more information on this dynamic group or to hear cuts from their album check out their website at www.montgomerygentry.com.













Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Getting ready to go out