Just over four years since the release of Behind The Rain, the band is proud to release their latest album, Invisible Highway, on Wednesday 8th May 2024. The first track, Walls Come Down, was released as the band's very first single on 1st April 2024. Invisible Highway blends all of the band's usual musical ingredients into one big melting pot resulting in possibly the band’s strongest album to date.
Please see below track descriptions: -
1. Walls Come Down
The lead track on the album and also released as the band’s first-ever single. An acoustic-driven Americana/country song with a heavy country-rock lick throughout and a driving, melodic bridge. A direct relation to previous songs by the band, Dreamland and My Head Is Alright.
2. There’s Something I Forgot To Say
A straight-down-the-middle, no-nonsense catchy little song with a strong a strong 1960’s flavour.
3. Cry Another Day
A bright, jangly country number telling a dark story while driven by some excellent electric guitar strongly supported by pedal steel guitar.
4. Empty
A strong, heavy ballad with a touch of the blues and a massive outro chorus with swirling synth and wailing guitars.
5. I Won’t Be Coming Home Tonight
A classic foot tapper reminiscent to A Little History and Too Many Pieces from the band’s library. A simple, effective hoe-down with driving fiddle.
6. Thinking Of You
A nostalgic song taking us back to an era long gone with links to the style of Hank Williams and Johnny Cash and the classic Nashville sounds produced by Chet Atkins for the likes of Jim Reeves. Wonderful pedal steel guitar underpinned by violin supports this song with a lead vocal by Chris.
7. Teardrops In The Rain
A piano-driven ballad with interwoven acoustic rhythm and electric guitar. Another sad lyric set against a contagious backdrop of sound.
8. California Trail
A song heavily driven by electric guitar and influenced by Creedence Clearwater Revival and the West Coast sound from the last 1960’s.
9. I’d Rather It Was You
A nostalgic ballad with a strong melody set against an acoustic backbone along with gentle percussion.
10. Any Given Sunday
A simple, melodic rock song. Strummed electric guitar opens the song before the band kick and it is the catchy chorus that underpins the number through to the fade.
11. Hold On (One More Time)
A dark tale fronting a melodic, folk-rock song with a strong chorus. Acoustic guitar, mandolin and violin drive the song as it proceeds to engage within a folk environment. A second lead vocal by Chris.
12. Too Drunk To Drink
A party song that features honky-tonk piano, pedal steel guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin, and driving fiddle with a singalong chorus and engaging bridge.
13. When The East Wind Blows
A powerful lyric over acoustic guitar with intermittent bass and percussion along with a sincere guitar outro on the fade.
14. We’ll All Be There
The album ends with a classic dose of rock and roll complete with singalong chorus.
The album was recorded by Jason Frye at Century Audio, Minster, Kent in the autumn of 2023. Guest musicians on the album are Bryan Orwell on keyboards, Steve Moreham on violin and Dave Kirk on pedal steel guitar.
Bryan Orwell started playing in bands at secondary school and has never really stopped since then, playing in bands around Sheffield and in Kent.
He has been a piano/keyboard player in more fine local bands than he can count and has depped for over thirty bands in the county since the 1990s. Bryan has played a variety of keyboard styles in four genre-specific tribute bands performing material by Pink Floyd, Rod Stewart, Peter Green and Bob Dylan at theatre level.
His current band is After Dark, a six-piece function band with a healthy dose of jazz and Blues standards.
He also likes to write and record his own material. He has a downloadable album called Really Brown and is thrilled that it still sells! Bryan is very happy that some of his own tracks from that album have been scrutinised and used as dance examination syllabus pieces around the world through the IDTA. They dance to his rhythm!
Bryan was very pleased to be asked to play keyboards at three headlining gigs by British Blues veterans NINE BELOW ZERO, twice at the Astor Theatre in Deal and also at the Broadstairs Blues Bash.
Bryan played on the self-titled debut album by The Old Country Crows in 2013, the Behind The Rain album from 2020 and the Listen To Me EP from 2021. He was extremely pleased and excited to be invited to record again with The Old Country Crows for the Invisible Highway sessions.
Steve Moreham has been playing the violin since he was 5 years old and is classically trained. He was a member of several symphony orchestras before extending his interest to include folk, rock, blues and jazz. He now plays in a variety of bands gigging in pubs and festivals as well as session work, both live and recorded. His current work extends to Crisis, an Americana, Cajun and blues band with Chris Taylor and Chris Sadler, Vultures, an eclectic mix of music with Bob Kenward, Band X, a prog-folk rock band with Nick Sheridan, Jonathan Vincent and Dan Brown. Plus, there is The Navigators which is Americana and Blues with Dave Blosse, along with bass and percussion and Steve is also working with Rob Wicks on original songs. Apart from his work on Invisible Highway, Steve also joined The Old Country Crows in the studio to play on songs from the Another Christmas Song EP in 2017, the Behind The Rain album in 2020 and the Listen To Me EP from 2021.
Dave Kirk started playing pedal steel guitar 50 years ago and has played with many successful country music artists plus fronting his own country band since the 1970’s. Dave has always loved the sound of the steel guitar and represented the UK at a number of steel guitar festivals and conventions across the world, including USA, Australia, Europe and Ireland. Now in semi-retirement he enjoys appearing as a guest player onstage and in the studio recording steel on various tracks and albums for a varied genre of music including, swing, jazz folk and country music. Dave’s contribution on three songs on Invisible Highway was the first time that he had worked with The Old Country Crows.
Invisible Highway will be available in cd format from the 'store' page of this website and across all social media platforms.
We hope you enjoy the new songs and we look forward to seeing you all at the album launch show at The Lighthouse, Walmer, Deal, Kent on Friday 17th May 2024.
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