Oak Ridge Boys Announce New Dave Cobb-Produced Album “17th Avenue Revival”
Before Dave Cobb became known as the producer du jour in country and Americana, he was a workaday musician and engineer who was looking to get his name out in the industry. In 2009, The Oak Ridge Boys took a chance on working with Cobb on their release The Boys Are Back, and it was the beginning of a revival in the career of the Oaks, and the beginning of what might become one of the most legendary runs for a producer in music.
Since then The Oak Ridge Boys have been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and Dave Cobb has accumulated multiple Grammy Awards for his mantle from his work with Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton. Now the two legendary entities are joining together again to release 17th Avenue Revival via Lightning Rod Records and Thirty Tigers on March 16th.
“Having been in The Oak Ridge Boys for almost 52 years, it can be difficult for me to imagine a place where we have not been. However, Dave Cobb had that vision, and the result is ’17th Avenue Revival.’” says Oak Ridge member Duane Allen. “Legendary Studio A on 17th Avenue South became a special, almost spiritual place, and for a few weeks it served as a beacon of creativity. The result is a recording that will go down in history, for old and new fans alike.”
17th Avenue South in Nashville is known more commonly as Music Row.
William Lee Golden of the Oak Ridge Boys says, “Dave brought music with spirit and a magical feel to the studio. It became a mental, emotional, physical and spiritual revival for The Oak Ridge Boys.”
Obviously Gospel influences will play a pivotal role on 17th Avenue Revival, but it’s also said to be both a retro, yet new and fresh record from the band, with no vocal stacking, minimal overdubs, and some songs recorded with all four legendary members standing around one microphone and harmonizing naturally. Contributing songwriters include Ashley Monroe and Vince Gill on two separate tracks, Jamey Johnson, and Brandy Clark. A new track “Brand New Star” has been released (listen below), and the album is now available for pre-order.
“Old roads turned into new roads on this album,” says the often outspoken Oak Ridge Boys member Joe Bonsall.
Track Listing:
1. Brand New Star (Aaron Raitiere & Mando Saenz)
2. There Will Be Light (Jamey Johnson, Larry Shell & Buddy Cannon)
3. God’s Got It (Charlie Jackson)
4. I’d Rather Have Jesus (Rhea Miller & George Beverly Shea)
5. Walk In Jerusalem (Traditional /Public Domain)
6. Where He Leads Me I Will Follow (Ernest W. Blandy / Public Domain)
7. Pray To Jesus (Brandy Clark & Shane McAnally)
8. If I Die (Ashley Monroe & Vince Gill)
9. Let It Shine On Me (Vince Gill & Ashley Monroe)
January 18, 2018 @ 7:51 pm
I’m in. Maybe before the release and can retro The Boys are Back because that flew way under my radar.
“Pray to Jesus” made it onto Clark’s 12 Stories.
Two others might be throw aways from other projects based on their collaborating composers. I can see “Let It Shine on Me” not making the cut on Monroe’s The Blade or Like A Rose. And “There Will Be a Light” being intended for Willie’s God’s Problem Child.
January 18, 2018 @ 7:53 pm
I know these guys have a longtime fan following. And they’ve worked hard over a long career to build that following .For that reason , I’m reluctant to comment honestly on this song and the performance .
Suffice to say I’m not on that fan list and don’t anticipate ever being there.
January 18, 2018 @ 11:25 pm
I Second that.
January 18, 2018 @ 8:00 pm
I’m an atheist, and I’ve never been an Oak Ridge Boys fan, but that is a damn good song.
January 18, 2018 @ 11:27 pm
How? Completely standard and unoriginal. When do you see yourself, especially as an atheist, listening to this? When brushing your teeth in the mirror in the morning and singing along?
January 19, 2018 @ 7:23 am
I’m agnostic, but, grew up on the “old standards” of gospel music and when they came on the radio it was time to sing along. Of course that was when radio played music. LOL…. that didn’t/doesn’t make me a ‘believer’ or a follower but it is an opportunity to hear some good, clean lyrics that offer a good, clean message, which most of the noise today today fails at. I can remember every ‘live’ Country show on the radio ended with a gospel song.
Some of the greats, if not all of them, have released gospel music and their renditions were, in most cases excellent.
I suspect this song would get a lot of singing in the car IF radio played it.
January 19, 2018 @ 9:06 am
Any excuse to hear William Lee Golden sing lead is fine with me.
January 19, 2018 @ 1:39 am
I’d like to see an ”Elvira” or ”Bobbie Sue” rendition produced by Dave Cobb.I am more connected with these songs than the gospel ones.
January 19, 2018 @ 1:43 am
I’ll pass. Gospel music has it’s fans and I dont begrudge anyone for being interested in it or being excited about this project, but it’s not for me.
January 19, 2018 @ 9:33 am
I don’t know that we have enough information to call this a “Gospel album” stem to stern. It certainly will be Gospel-inspired, because it’s the Oak Ridge Boys album.
January 19, 2018 @ 9:46 am
I just assumed, looking at the song titles that it would be a Gospel album. Maybe I will be proven wrong, but judging from the song titles alone, it looks like there might only be 1-3 songs that don’t have some religious bent to them.
January 19, 2018 @ 3:22 am
Why Vince Gill
January 19, 2018 @ 3:44 pm
Why not?
January 19, 2018 @ 6:35 am
Good we need more Gospel Music that is well produced. Under represented in country music. I would much rather hear about God’s love than beer rolling around in a truck bed.
January 20, 2018 @ 5:15 pm
you can have both. check out Reverend Deadeye
January 19, 2018 @ 6:44 am
At last, someone singing about something other than themselves.
January 19, 2018 @ 7:41 am
The Oaks are a class act. True gentlemen with serious vocal talent. For various reasons, vocal harmony groups went out of fashion and the millenials haven’t shown interest in it as of yet. So their audience is older. I think they see an opportunity within the gospel realm to make a living. It’s a niche genre but there’s a loyal following.
They have a very impressive catalog of work however and it’s getting forgotton. Songs like Yall Come Back Saloon, Leavin Louisiana in the broad daylight, Ozark Mountain Jubilee and many others. I grew up on that stuff, guess I’m sentimental , but I love it.
January 19, 2018 @ 7:50 am
Southern gospel music cuts across race and class lines and is important for strictly musical reasons. People learned to sing in church, and they learned to sing in harmony. They also learned song structures from hymns, which are still every bit as fundamental to “modern country” (sic) as it is to older country. These roots are deep, even for those without faith.
January 19, 2018 @ 9:10 am
Yep. Google Marty Stuart gospel, and hear some of the finest singing around, if one hasn’t heard it before.
January 19, 2018 @ 8:35 am
do you think vince gill has been cloned ? is there anywhere he isn’t singing , writing , recording an album playing guitar , producing , harmonizing ,performing , MC-ing , golfing , coaching all star hockey games , etc…. ?
January 19, 2018 @ 10:24 am
I was asking him about that in the line at Subway. He said he owes it all to the healthy Instant Pot meals he’s been enjoying since Christmas. Says he just has more energy. He even gave me a break and charged me for a foot long instead of 2 six inch. What a guy!
This is a great gospel song, by the way. Very daring not to throw in the obligatory key change. Touche!
January 19, 2018 @ 10:51 am
Well albert, don’t forget he’s a touring member of The Eagles as well now! In fact, I see another career move here for ol Vince, replacing dead musicians from famous bands.
With Petty gone what will The Heart breakers do? How about Vince Gill and The Heartbreakers?
Maybe a partial Beatles reunion with Paul, Ringo and Vince filling in as either Lennon or Harrison or both? Oh the possibilities…
January 19, 2018 @ 5:07 pm
vince is such an amazing talent ….I’d actually rather watch him golf than hear thomas rhett ‘sing’ .
January 19, 2018 @ 1:23 pm
Plus, he’s lucky enough to be married to America’s sweetheart Amy Grant. Yep, nobody knows the trouble Vince has seen….
January 19, 2018 @ 11:10 am
At the old Greenville Memorial Auditorium, in Greenville, SC (the sight of the last Lynnard Skynyrd concert before the crash), in around 1979, I had the pleasure of seeing on the same night in this order, Ray Stevens, The Oak Ridge Boys, and then Kenny Rogers & Dottie West. It was special, and looking back, I didn’t know how special it was.
January 19, 2018 @ 3:53 pm
I’m in, too. This takes me back to the Y’all Come Back Saloon days and you can’t get much better than that!
January 24, 2018 @ 10:12 am
Great tune.
This would be a good group to see live.