Like Craig Morgan’s New Song? There’s More Where That Came From
Craig Morgan's new single "The Father, My Son and the Holy Ghost" is as raw as he'll get on his next studio album, but it's not the only song that digs into the pain he felt after his son, Jerry's, death.
During a conversation with Taste of Country, Morgan shared details about new songs from an upcoming record that was well underway before he wrote a ballad that's brought the likes of Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson — plus thousands of country music fans nationwide — to tears. In fact, he was near an agreement with Broken Bow Records before "The Father ..." was written. A comeback was imminent, perhaps with a different lead single.
Overall, Morgan says, his new music isn't a departure from his seven previous studio albums, including his 2003 breakout album I Love It, released on BBR. The songs are at times traditional and contemporary, and there are plenty of vocal showcases — Morgan says he feels stronger vocally than he has in years, thanks to all the time away from music. Two songs he enthusiastically talked about were "Sippin' on the Simple Life" — a "Redneck Yacht Club"-flavored track he wrote with two Airborne soldiers just before they deployed to Afghanistan — and "Whiskey," a track written by Anthony Smith. The hook of this song is "I hate the taste of whiskey, but I drink it anyway."
"This song has a completely different meaning for me than it does most people who heard the song," Morgan says, admitting he does indeed hate the taste of whiskey. "I heard the song early on after Jerry’s accident. There were many times in my head I told myself I just want to go do what most people do, I wanna go get drunk and forget about this, but I never did that."
"Whiskey" seems like a future single candidate, but for now Morgan is focused on sharing his story (and Jerry's story) through "The Father, My Son and the Holy Ghost," a song he admits is often too painful to perform live. It's been more than three years since the accident, but the 55-year-old singer, songwriter and part-time reality television show host still compares the pain to walking around with a broken rib — sometimes it just catches him off guard. His family is slowly getting better at processing it all, but there are often times when they wish they could speak with Jerry again.
"I do talk to him," Morgan says. "He don’t talk back. I wish he would. I wish I could have that kind of an encounter, but I don’t get that. I do get the little signs like I’ve talked about, but I don’t get that personal, physical touch, and I miss that. But I also have joy knowing my son is in a place where he feels no pain. He’s no longer dyslexic. He no longer listens to people who see things negative. And I’ll see him again."
There's no timetable for Morgan's next studio album, his first on Broken Bow Records since Little Bit of Life in 2006. The signing is another sort of comeback for the singer — it was Morgan, after all, who provided the label's first No. 1 hit when "That's What I Love About Sunday" topped airplay charts in 2005.
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