PERPETUAL VACATION
" I came up with the title of the album before I wrote the song. This was the last
song I wrote for the CD and I barely got it finished in time for the final recording
sessions. When we got in the studio, we realized that the melody I had written was almost
exactly the same as the song "Vacation" from my first CD. So with the help of
producer Jim Allison I literally rewrote the melody as I sang the song. What we got was
something spontaneous that has the correct attitude to kick of the disc."
CHAMPAGNE IN A PAPER CUP
"This is the only song I didn't write specifically for the CD. Its a tune I penned
many years ago and it has continued to be a crowd pleaser and a personal favorite of mine.
The original version was very country but a young Nashvillian named Stacey Hogan changed
that with his arrangement that you hear on the CD. Of all the songs I have written, this
tune is on of my all time favorites."
LAID BACK IN LA (LOWER ALABAMA)
"This one is about as real as it gets for me. I was raised in a big city but I've
grown more than a little fond of small town life. I really miss my old friends and family
in Phoenix, but I can't imagine a better lifestyle than where I live. This song really
tells that story."
LIVIN' IN LIMBO
"This song is just me observing life and relationships and the mess they get into
sometimes.This one is just supposed to be fun and feel good, and tell a little story in
the process.
BASEBALL
"Thinking about baseball is an old phrase I heard in the sixties pertaining to
something other than what the song is about. My original thought was of a song fraught
with innuendo, but it ended up as a love song. Songs sometimes take you where they want to
go."
GOD DON'T CARE WHAT YOU WEAR
"I was getting ready for church (believe it or not) a few years ago and was wanting
my youngest son to go with me. He said "I don't have anything to wear." I
immediately said "Son, God don't care what you wear." The light bulb went off in
my head and I thought I better write that one down. A lot of people I know were raised in
a very negative church environment but I hope my little gospel try will be palatable to
them. The idea to kick the song off with "Amazing Grace" came spontaneously at a
sound check for a concert I did."
THE BIG HURT
"This one is a gut wrencher. Love and relationships almost seem disposable these
days, but not for some of us. And for a Brent song it kinda rocks!"
* Webmaster/Producer's note:
We cut this song with me on electric guitar and Brian (Spatch) Wheeler on the drums. Brian
had never heard the song and what you hear on the CD is the second take with him playing
drums and me jumping up and down like a madman playing and trying to cue him on the
arrangement and accents. It has a great live feel to it. The slide part was cut with an
old fiberglass Supro guitar from the early sixties through an amp turned up to 10 per Jim
Allison's instructions.( "Go ahead George, turn that sucker up to ten. I wanna hear
the tubes melting.")
And you're right Brent, it kinda rocks.
SON OF THE BEACH
"Co-written with hit songwriters Jim Allison and Anne Reeves, we tried to capture an
island man's spirit without being trite. Again, I love the attitude of this cut."
SAND CASTLE
"My co-writer on this one is comedian Andy Andrews. Amazingly this was Andy's first
try at songwriting. Andy and I are old, old friends and we've been promising each other we
were going to write together for a long time. I really like the message 'Leave a little
beach for my great grandchildren.' By the way, a person couldn't ask for a better, more
loyal friend than Andy Andrews."
RICH WHITE PEOPLE
"I guess I like to pick on people I like. Living where I do, I really do have a lot
of friends who fall into this category, and they can be really funny to observe. The song
is a little brutal, but at the end I show my true colors and my class envy. I think this
one will sell some CD's."
LOST SAILORS HOPE
"My record connection in Australia is Wayne Sampey. Our first face to face meeting
was at the Sydney Airport. Wayne heads up NUMA down under, an organization that searches
for ship wrecks around the globe. NUMA was, by the way, founded by author Clive Cussler.
As you may have read,Clive and NUMA found the Humley in Charleston Bay. Anyway while
hearing about Wayne and others' adventures, I got an idea for this song. As Wayne talked I
realized there is a relationship between the men who search for the ships and those who
perished aboard them.
I truly felt inspired to write this one.
* Webmaster/Producer's note:
Thanks to the incredible Ed Gore for the keyboards on this song.