The heavy rock and southern folk sound of The Cadillac Three – the Nashville born and bred trio of Jaren Johnson, Kelby Ray and Neil Mason – have garnered the group a huge worldwide fanbase, with recent tour stops consisting of at-capacity crowds here and abroad, including UK venues like O2 Academy Islington, Dingwalls, and a sold-out headline show at the Shepherds Bush Empire. Breaking onto the scene in 2013 with the success of their debut single “The South,” featuring fellow country men Dierks Bentley, Florida Georgia Line, and Mike Eli (Eli Young Band), TC3 kept the ball rolling with the release of Bury Me In My Boots, which earned a debut at #5 and 11,000 in album sales its first week. Now TC3 are set to continue to build on that success with the release their third album, Legacy.
With a successful tour behind them and new experiences here and abroad, the guys wanted to create a record from a new, more mature perspective. Writing, producing, and recording for the new album turned into a personal project for the band; the guys did the whole project by themselves with virtually no help from the outside. Johnston wrote all of the eleven tracks and collaborated with bandmate Mason and others on some. Tracks were cut on their days off, and Johnson’s vocals were recorded from the lounge of their bus in between shows.
Legacy stays true to their authentic sound. Take “Tennessee” for example. Written by Johnston, one might think it had everything to do with the lead singer’s home state, when in actuality it’s one man letting his woman know that, after a long time on the road, he’s on his way home to her:
Get out the whiskey, girl, and put that black dress on
Go on, chill the beer
I got a hundred million miles just lookin’ at me
In this cracked rear view mirror
I’ve been missin’ on kissin’ on you, listening to songs all night long
Two weeks feels like two years
Get out the whiskey, girl, and put that black dress on
I’m comin home to Tennessee
Yeah, Tennessee
The song displays a heavy guitar and drum beat, keeping to the sound that made TC3 who they are.
Their current single “Dang If We Didn’t” – released to country radio in July – is written in the perspective of the morning after a night of partying. The song, penned by Johnston, Mason and Jonathan Singleton, amuses the listener with what one might find the next morning after they’ve tried on one too many in a catchy, rowdy crowd anthem:
Pair of Levi’s on a ceilin’ fan, spinnin’ like my head
One boot on, a beer in the other
That what the hell settin’ in
Gone and dang done it again
Pack of Reds by the bed
And we don’t even smoke
Chorus
Dang if we didn’t get drunk last night
What was so wrong, we had to make it so right
Whiskey. ‘Quila, rum, and some cold Bud Light
Dang if we didn’t get drunk last night
Again, their signature heavy guitar and drum beats add to the party like atmosphere…or what was a party.
“Take Me To The Bottom,” the seventh track on the album, is a soulful, almost gospel-esque, song. Written by Johnston, the slow, steady drum beats, soft background vocals and Johnson hitting notes into higher octaves musically and lyrically take the listener church, literally and figuratively. Falling for someone can make you fall hard and deep – so hard you can’t get back up – seems to be the meaning behind it:
Your love is like that Mississippi River
Your hands like a preacher, baby, I’m a new believer
Hold me down, down, down, down, down
Fill me up girl let me drown
If you want my heart, if you want my soul
You gotta take me to the bottom
With a killer guitar solo, this song is a perfect fit for the middle of the album.
The title track, written by Johnston, Ben Burgess, and Laura Veltz closes out the album and lyrically stands firm in meaning: you can have the fame and fortune, but after you’re gone the only thing that will be important to your legacy will be the people in your life, your family:
You’re in everything comin’ off these strings
Baby, you’re you’re the lead, I’m the just the harmony
Behind every great man, they say
There’s a woman that made him that way
Lookin’ at you, girl, it ain’t hard to see that
Chorus
When I’m gone, my name carved in stone
Over husband, friend, and father
Survived by son, wife, and daughter
It won’t be the songs that keep me livin’ on
Girl, as hall of fame as I wanna be
It’s a lot of love and a little family tree
Hell, that’s a legacy
Accurately titled, Legacy is a solid album of eleven tracks offering everything from country to southern rock that will further cement the trio’s place in the industry.
The band will host a hometown show at The Ryman on August 31, 2017 to celebrate the album’s release. To check out information on the show, tour dates or any more information on The Cadillac Three, check out their website: www.thecadillacthree.com.
Legacy Track List
- Cadillacin’ – Jaren Johnston & Neil Mason
- Tennessee – Jaren Johnston
- Hank & Jesus – Jaren Johnston, Neil Mason, & Angelo Petraglia
- Dang if We Didn’t – Jaren Johnston, Neil Mason, Jonathan Singleton
- Ain’t That Country – Jaren Johnston, Neil Mason, & James Slater
- American Slang – Jaren Johnston, Neil Mason, & Lori McKenna
- Take Me To The Bottom – Jaren Johnston
- Long Hair Don’t Care – Jaren Johnston, Neil Mason, & Angelo Petraglia
- Love Me Like Liquor (feat. Lori McKenna) – Jaren Johnston, Neil Mason, & Lori McKenna
- Demolition Man – Jaren Johnston, Neil Mason, & Angelo Petraglia
- Legacy – Jaren Johnston, Ben Burgess, & Laura Veltz