The day is FINALLY here.
Riley Green’s Behind The Bar project has arrived and there’s a lot of good stuff to get into.
After two years of waiting for him to release something other than EP’s after his first record Different ‘Round Here came out in 2019, the time has come, and it was worth the wait.
The album includes studio versions of several fan favorites, like the awesome tracks “I Let A Damn Good Woman Leave”, “That’s What I’ve Been Told” and “That’s My Dixie.”
But my early favorite so far is “That Was Us” featuring Jessi Alexander.
The duo played it together once last fall during Riley’s Golden Saw Series and I knew I loved it then, but hearing a studio recording is a whole other ball game. Jessi is an incredible artist in her own right, and damn that girl can sing.
I’m also a sucker for a good duet, and I can already picture myself listening to it all summer driving around with my windows down. Riley and Jessi actually wrote the song together alongside Thomas Rhett.
It’s a nostalgic anthem that looks back on a long-lost summer love that was full of passion, but ultimately, fizzled out as life went on and things changed.
They even name-drop the great Keith Whitley, so there’s nothing not to like here in my book:
Another one I recommend checking out second is the studio version of “Put ‘Em On Mine”. We shared a grainy video of him playing part of it at a concert a couple months back, but I have to say, it’s even more fun to listen to with the added production and clear audio.
I said it back then and I’ll repeat it now that I’ve heard it on this project: It’s just a sexy track that also makes you want to go dance your ass off while buzzed on tequila at a honky-tonk all night. And that’s all I can really ask for from an upbeat country song like that.
While this project isn’t technically a full-length record, and I don’t want to get ahead of myself and not enjoy all of this great music we just got, it could be the beginning of more to come. He just has so many more awesome songs waiting to be released that I can’t help but wonder if an official sophomore album might be around the corner sometime soon.
If this music is any indication of what else he’s got up his sleeve, color me excited.
Now, go turn it up, crack open a cold one, kick back and enjoy all the country music goodness Riley has finally bestowed upon us:
“Put ‘Em On Mine”
“That’s What I’ve Been Told”
“I Let A Damn Good Women Leave”
“That’s My Dixie”
