Admittedly, I’m not the BIGGEST fan of country music but I have my moments. Yeah, I’ve dabbled, and I’m not ashamed. I will tell you though, that the quickest way to my heart is a good old fashioned dance remix of a country song. You hear me country artists?! Leann Rimes did it and had MUCHO success on the club charts. Hell, Leann even released a whole album of remixes! I understand that some artists don’t want to stray too far outside of their comfort zones but I gotta hand it to any artist who’s willing to try something a little different.
The latest country star testing the dance waters is none other than Ms. Chely Wright. Singer/songwriter Wright released her debut album back in 1994 and went on to be named the Top New Female Vocalist in 1995 by the Academy of Country Music. Since 1994, Chely Wright has released seven albums, most recently Lifted Off The Ground, which came out nearly a year ago on Vanguard/EMI and managed to peak at #32 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart as well as #200 on the Billboard 200. The album’s debut single, “Broken” also experienced success, going all the way to #1 on the Country Music Indie Charts back in August. Single #2, “Damn Liar” was released at the end of March and features a dance remix produced by Jared Kuemper (AKA youngjared). Check out the fierce remix below.
Chely Wright “Damn Liar” (youngjared remix) by The Karpel Group
In addition to being a top-selling country artist, Wright grabbed headlines in May of last year when she publicly came out as being a lesbian. Now, I’ll be honest. Prior to hearing about Chely Wright coming out as gay, I hadn’t heard of her before. I blame this on my general blase attitude towards country music. The only country artists I really know anything about are those with cross over appeal – Leann Rimes, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain, Jewel, etc. Of course…there are exceptions. Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, etc. Now, I may just have to add Chely Wright to that list of country artists I am familiar with. I feel bad, because I know her NOT because of her music, but because of her personal life. At the same time, this inspirational coming out story has earned her a new fan in me and I’m happily re-discovering her back catalog so I guess it ultimately all comes back to the music, doesn’t it?
Check out the youngjared remix of “Damn Liar” above and if you like it, download it on iTunes HERE. You can also download Lifted Off The Ground on iTunes HERE. Wright has her memoir coming out next month. You can pre-order Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer, HERE.