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Today with Roy Orbison gone, Billy Joe Royal's voice ranks as one of the most recognizable on the scene. Like Orbison, with his distinctive voice and vocal style Royal has the ability to take material that would turn to saccharine in any other artist's hands and not only make it palatable but make it uniquely memorable. Just as he has been so many times in his 35+ year career, Royal is back with another album that demonstrates once again what a consummate song stylist he is and why he is still in demand at clubs across the country and around the world when most of his contemporaries are little more than clichés for oldies radio or the answers to music trivia questions. Produced by the legendary Chips Moman (Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Neil Diamond, B.J. Thomas), Now and Then, Then and Now features eight new recordings plus two from the vaults, including a cover of the monster hit "Under the Boardwalk." Royal is backed by Moman's all-star studio cast that includes the likes of guitar master Reggie Young (Elvis Presley, Waylon Jennings) and keyboardist Bobby Emmons as well as guest artists such as J.R. Cobb (Atlanta Rhythm Section) and Jimmy Griffin (Bread). It takes great voices to sing backup for one of the greatest voices of all and Moman has gathered the talents of Toni Wine, Randy Van Warmer, Rick Yancey, and Griffin to fill out the lush vocal background. Royal had hits in the rock and country genres over the years but this latest album is dominated by the kind of soulful ballad sound reminiscent of his "It Keeps Right On Hurting" and "Tell It Like It Is." Those who remember the stages of Royal's career know that his shift from popular rock style music to a country career in 1984 really didn't involve much of a change for Royal at all. He's always sung and arranged his songs in a certain highly identifiable way and the fact that he "changed genres" and reinvented his career is more a sign of how the music business changed its identity than a sign of change in Royal. So it is that almost all of the songs on Now and Then, Then and Now seem as though they don't fit any of the current radio styles even though they are obviously delivered in a classic style. Royal, a southern boy who was exposed to all sorts of music growing up in Georgia and writing songs with roommate Joe South in Savannah, has always had a style that incorporates pop, country, soul, and blues in a seamless synthesis that is his and his alone and makes him one of those brilliant anomalies that glaringly illustrate how foolish the dividing lines in radio and music marketing are today. One hallmark of Royal's career has always been his ability to find great material. In this sense, he reminds me of Conway Twitty. The song is the thing and it's got to be absolutely right. Now and Then, Then and Now is chock full of moving lyrics, perhaps none more so than on the nostalgic "Where Did the '60s Go?" I liked the Beatles but I really loved Elvis You're still my flower child Detroit and Memphis crankin' out soul Van Warmer's "Echoes" is another ballad that seems tailor-made for Royal's voice and delivery and that meets the great lyric criteria. Van Warmer's imagery is pristine but deeply blue and tragic. I'm hearing echoes I can't believe Royal hasn't forgotten his rock beginnings and he shows he still knows where he came from on the wry and bittersweet "All He Wants To Do" about an old rocker who just can't let it go even though the time and fashion have moved on. You can catch him down on Broadway Throughout his career, Royal has had a knack for finding songs with smart turns of phrase (remember his smash, "I Knew You When"?) and "One Morning, Two People" more than fills the bill. One morning, two people With a performing career now into its fifth decade, Billy Joe Royal is back once again, like some kind of bionic song machine that the industry can't kill or bury under the shifting sands of momentary fashion. He just doesn't seem to wear out or to lose any of his skills as time moves on. The voice is the thing and it is virtually indistinguishable now from the voice of 35 years ago on hits like "Down In the Boondocks" and "Cherry Hill Park." He still approaches a song like a work of art, still delivers it in a style that is Billy Joe Royal's alone, and still makes them all sound like timeless classics. That's what monumental talents like Billy Joe Royal do. That's what makes them monumental then and now, now and then. * I don't know where you can find a better blue-eyed soul
record than Billy Joe Royal's Now and Then, Then and Now,
available at www.chipsmoman.com
For more information on one of our musical national treasures,
visit www.billyjoeroyal.com
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There probably are
no accurate statistics on things like this, but Billy Joe Royal
may be one of the most prolific artists of all time. He's certainly
versatile and adaptable. He's had hit records (in three different
decades), he's written hit records (in several genres), he's
sung with and behind innumerable acts, and he's probably toured
as many miles as any singer on planet Earth since he got into
this crazy business at age 11. By age 14, Royal was regular
on the Georgia Jubilee which featured Jerry Reed, Ray Stevens,
Joe South, and Freddy Weller. He was a star on Dick Clark's
Cavalcade of Stars, traveling across the country with Tom Jones,
Neil Diamond and The Shirelles for months of one-nighters.
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