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By: Chuck Dauphin
It’s something that every new artist knows about. Ask any veteran act, and they will tell you that it’s not necessarily the first album in their career that helped them to gain prominence—it’s the follow-up. Albums like Always & Forever, The Woman In Me, and Ropin’ The Wind really seem to illustrate this point. There is a term called the “sophomore jinx,” the stigma surrounding an artist’s inability to live up to the promise of the first album. With each release from his second Arista set Growing Up Is Getting Old, it appears that Jason Michael Carroll is shaping up to be in the music business for the proverbial “long haul.”
The set’s first single, “Where I’m From,” recently traveled to the Top-10 , and sales have been brisk since the album’s April release. The continued success makes him happy. “I couldn’t ask for more right now,” he exclaims. “Having a fourth top ten single lead off the record, and everybody seems to be responding really well already to ‘Hurry Home,’ the new single…It’s really been great.”
When asked about the sophomore jinx, Carroll admitted that when he and producer Don Gehman went into the studio, they tried their best not to think about it.
“Everybody was asking us about it, and that seemed to be what people wanted to talk to us about when we were making the record. Don and I really focused on just trying to put songs on the record that meant something to me, and maybe to our fans. I think we did it.”
Carroll “did it” with a blend of high-octane rockers, as well as some very poignant and heartfelt ballads. Having started his career with the somber “Alyssa Lies” from his debut set Waitin’ In The Country, the singer feels it’s important to showcase both sides of his personality.
“I’ve always wanted to record songs that meant something to me,” he begins. “Songs that are about something I’ve been through, something I’ve experienced. That way our fans and listeners can really get an idea of who I am through listening to each track.”
Carroll says that “Happened On Saturday Night” harkens back to his days playing in the clubs. As far as the title track of the album--he said with a smile, “There’s a point where someone looks at you and your life and says ‘It’s time for you to act your age…” He stops for a minute and deadpans “I just don’t think it’s that time yet.’
One song that will no doubt leave an impact with his fans is the tender “Tears.” Two of Carroll’s four children appear on the track, daughter Savanna and son Gavin via his cell phone. The cut takes him back to a sad time in his life.
“When I first heard the song, I was going through a really terrible divorce,” he says adding that “I wasn’t allowed to see my kids as much as I wanted to. And it was tough to hear the song. It only seemed natural when we were recording this song, so I pulled out my phone and called all my kids on speaker phone. My youngest daughter Stori didn’t make the cut. I couldn’t get her on the phone, but I did get my oldest son Gavin and my oldest daughter Savannah on the phone. I got JW, my youngest son on the phone, but all he wanted to talk about was planes and trains…so he didn’t make the cut either. So at the very beginning, Savannah opens the song with me, and Gavin is at the end, closing it out.” The song makes for a touching experience.
On the other end of the spectrum is the rollicking “Barn Burner.” Written by longtime friends Brian Davis and Keith Anderson, Carroll says the two held the song for sometime before giving him the green light to record it.
“One day, Keith called me up from the studio and said told me he recorded it for his new record, but it really didn’t work. He then asked me ‘Do you still want it?’ I jumped at the opportunity. It’s one of the songs that we use in our set, and it’s working out well live.”
With both his personal and professional life going wonderfully, Carroll has been taking to the road in a big way in 2009, and the journey will continue. He has dates on the calendar all summer long, and even days where he’s not on the stage he has quite the busy schedule. He just filmed a video for the powerful “Hurry Home,” and recently performed a special concert in Kansas to support “Cars 4 Heroes,” a charity that provides basic transportation to war heroes in need. “Cars 4 Heroes” was a special night for both the singer and the audience as the front row at the show was reserved for returning veterans.
When asked to reflect on his success, Carroll commented that while some thought he didn’t celebrate his ever-growing list of accomplishments enough, he was grateful to be where he was.
“There’s so many talented singers out there, and for me to be able to do what I do, I’m very fortunate.” However, he’s not just thinking about today; he also sets his eyes on the future. “I’m one of those guys who is always looking ahead. Ok-we’ve done this, we’ve accomplished this….so what is our next move? How do we make it bigger? That’s always something I’m looking at.”
For more on Jason Michael Carroll, log on to his web site, www.jasonmichaelcarroll.com!
Tags: alyssa lies, arista, growing up is getting old, JASON MICHAEL CARROLL, music city news, Waitin' in the Country, where i'm from
