Record Review by Larry Delaney

 

Country Music News January , 2010

Record Reviews by Larry Delaney

 

MARVEN JAMES

Tennessee Teardrops

MJ Records - MJ19682

Produced by Larry Wayne Clark (and various producers)

 

(12 Selections - Playing Time 44:22)

Tennessee Teardrops / Words I Wish I'd Heard / I Don't Need A Million Dollars / Mail Myself To Mexico / Burned Out Trucker / Your Smile / Stayin' In These Days / Road To Music / Harder Than It Has To Be / City Boy Gone Country / As Bubles Dance / Runaway Angel.

 

Marven James is a Timmins, Ontario-born, Montréal-based singer who has already enjoyed considerable success on the Quebec music circuit.  This marks his first serious venture into the English marketplace.

 

Typically, these projects become a bit of a nightmare because of the language factor, but Marven James is an exception, able to deliver his music and songs with a bit of a Nashville twang, and avoiding the usual pitfalls that go with the territory.

 

The album's title track, lead single Tennessee Teardrops is a solid-effort, and should quickly establish Marven James with Canadian country radio at the national level.  There's lots more here that has similar impact, most notably the big ballsy ballad Your Smile; the bouncy Words I Wish I'd Heard, and a nostalgic item in I Don't Need A Million Dollars.  Listen also for a top notch truckin' songs in the country/rocker Burned Out Trucker; and an interesting item in City Boy Gone Country.

 

Noted Canadian-bred/Nashville based songwriter Larry Wayne Clark is the producer of 9 of the albums 12 selections, and also contributes three of his co-written songs, two of which (Mail Myself To Mexico and Harder Than It Has To Be) were previously released by Nashville Star contest winner Buddy Jewell.  The Harder Than It Has To Be tune was also cut in 2009 by Canadian indie artist Jamie Thorne.

 

The album has also become a prime showcase for songs written by Dave Frolick and Bill Osmond of the Oshawa-based Frozen North Music Publishing company -- They have their song writing pens (collectively or individually) attached to nine of the songs on the album.

 

Tennessee Teardrops was recorded at various studios in Nashville, with Larry Wayne Clark (9 songs), Odie Blackmon (Burned Out Trucker), Mike Bush (Runaway Angel) and Marven James (As Bubbles Dance) handling production.

 

 For more info on Marven James visit:

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