Telling his story through music.
Of course actor James Woods already has quite the incredible story to tell. The actor has won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award, and has twice been nominated for Academy Awards. His impressive resume includes roles on Broadway, television and film, including roles in movies like Casino, Any Given Sunday, Once Upon a Time in America, and many more.
And of course who can forget his iconic cameos as himself on Family Guy?
Well now, Woods has teamed up with Shooter Jennings to help tell his story in music.
This past Friday, the legendary actor released Hear the Thunder Crack, an autobiographical new album written by Woods and performed by Shooter Jennings.
The album features poetry and lyrics written by Woods and put to music by Jennings, who is himself an artist, producer, and of course the son of the legendary Waylon Jennings. And it chronicles not only the highs and lows from his iconic career but also his observations that he’s made over his years in Hollywood – none more pointed than on the bluesy “Hollywood Kills Everything.”
“I’ll pull the curtain open
I’ll give a word on high
A friendly little caveat
This whole place is a lie
Hollywood kills all it touches
It’s a swamp of creatures vile
They don’t gut you with a rusty blade
They do it with a smile”
And on “A Tinker’s Tale,” Woods found himself lamenting the perception that so many in Hollywood have of middle America as “flyover country.”
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Speaking on the album, Woods said that he never wanted to write a traditional autobiography. But when Shooter encouraged him to start writing songs, he decided it was how he wanted to tell his story:
“Throughout my Hollywood career people encouraged me to write a book about my life. Celebrity “tell-alls” never appealed to me though, because I don’t care about frivolous things. I yearned to share stories that moved me in my life, authentic tales that lifted my spirits or broke my heart.
When the great Shooter Jennings once casually suggested I write song lyrics, I was skeptical. When I put pen to paper, however, these whispers from the heart expressed themselves in ways I never imagined. And when Shooter then put them to music, my life changed forever. I can’t wait to share them with you.”
The sound of the album, like Woods’ career, can’t be pinned down into one specific genre. There are country-leaning songs, like the first single “The Road Back” that evokes the sound of artists like Creedence Clearwater Revival. And then there are songs like “Whispers From the Heart” that sound like they would be right at home on the soundtrack of a Broadway – fitting for a man like Woods with so much experience on stage.
While Hear the Thunder Crack may be a mix of country, southern rock, blues, and even some folk, it all adds up to tell the stories from the incredible journey that Woods has been on over his legendary career, and the observations he’s made along the way.
And let’s be honest, this is way better than reading an autobiography anyway.
Hear the Thunder Crack is available now on all streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. And if you want a copy for yourself, you can order it directly at jameswoods.com.
Go to https://t.co/KQn8DVcM41 to order vinyl or CD or both in a “bundle.” Or you can hear it and/or buy it at any of these digital music providers: https://t.co/LKzIp7cbbR https://t.co/QcBLVsS793
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) October 20, 2024
If you want to hear James Woods and Shooter Jennings talk about how their “unlikely friendship” came together, they tell the incredible story and go more into detail about how the album came together here:
Check it out:
The Road Back
Hollywood Kills Everything
