Coal Keeps The Lights On - EP
Neal Spears :Vocals, Drums, Bass gtr, Rythm gtr
Joey Huffman:Bass, Piano
Rick Richards: Guitar
Produced by Joey Huffman
Jeff Tomei : engineer/mix

When a song grabs you from the moment you hear the music start, you know it’s got promise. When a musician speaks to your heart with every word they sing, with every note they play, they are going to get your attention. This is what happened the first time I heard Neal Spears perform.


Neal hails from Pikeville, Kentucky, a small town at the eastern tip of the state where coal mining jobs support nearly 20,000 families. This is a hard life to chose and has provided the inspiration for many songs, including this one. Neal first heard this song on his sister's back porch. It was written by Neal's close friend, Barry Kinney. Kinney, himself, is an excavator operator on a strip mine job site.
It was while heading toward the parking lot after a 12-hour shift that he spoke the words of this song into his cell phone.


This tune is so guitar heavy, it is far from what one would think of, when they think about country music. With the unmistakable slide guitar sound that only Rick Richards can deliver, and the smoking keys of Joey Huffman, the Georgia Satellites automatically come to mind. But this is a different animal that stands on it's own merit with a swagger all it's own. The unique vocals that Neal delivers sound as
rough and rugged as the region of rural America that he grew up in.


This song is an anthem for the modern day blue-collar worker, and speaks to not only the plight of the coal miners, but to every man or woman that goes to work every day, to a job that pays the bills. And yes, the musicians, too. They are struggling just like the rest of the world. I truly admire anyone that excels at any profession, that although may not pay as regular as a blue collar job, but requires .
As one person put it best, “you don’t choose to be a musician, it is something that is born in you, and you have no choice. You have to perform and record your music as a form of artistic expression.”


I was deeply moved by this song, as I know you will be by it and the accompanying single, 'I'm Just Lonely.' This EP, along with all of Neal’s other tunes will grab not only your attention, but your heart.


Kudos Neal, you nabbed a good one, babe~

 

SoundCheck Rating :

Cyndi ♥