Brandon Jenkins Releases New Album

Brandon Jenkins releases his latest album, Brothers of the Dirt, today. You can purchase the album on iTunes or LoneStarMusic.com.
The album features guest appearances by Stoney LaRue, Jason Boland, Cody Canada, Mike McClure, John Cooper, Randy Rogers, Brian Haas, Steve Pryor, Brady Black, Travis Fite, Ron Morgan, Pat Savage and Brad Absher.

“…a nice, layered collection of mature country-rock “red dirt” songs.” - Buddy Magazine

Tracklisting and song-by-song commentary after the jump.
01. Blood For Oil
02. What I Was Born To Be (feat. Jason Boland)
03. All In All (feat. Mike McClure)
04. Out Of Babylon (feat. Cody Canada)
05. White Van Blues (feat. Stoney LaRue)
06. Innocent Man (feat. Stoney LaRue & Randy Rogers)
07. Streets Of North Hollywood (feat. Stoney LaRue & Jared Tyler)
08. Marching Towards The Guns (feat. Steve Pryor & Brad Absher)
09. We Could Go To Paris (feat. Brian Haas & Pat Savage)
10. Hearts Don’t Breakeven (feat. Brady Black)
11. Ricardo’s Cadillac (feat. Travis Fite)
12. Every Step You Take (feat. John Cooper & Travis Fite)

“Blood For Oil”
“With this song, I tried to express some of the frustrations I see and feel in everyday people around me, not so much judging, but making a statement.; Essentially it’s a social commentary on the state of the Country put to music. This was the last song to be recorded and we weren’t even sure it was going to make the cut, but after the response it evoked in our live shows we knew it was meant to be.”
“What I Was Born To Be”
“My life’s just phases acted out on stages” this is the first line of the chorus, but captures the essence of this song. Throughout my life I had no idea what I was doing, but looking back I see every step was an important one, even the missteps, they’re are part of who I am. I knew right off I wanted Jason Boland to sing this one with me, it suites his voice, style, and life so well.”
“All In All”
“This is one of the many songs I’ve written with my friend Scott Hutchison. It’s a song just reflecting on life, and how in the end, we all want the same things, to be happy, and find a place where we belong. The witty lyrics and melody made me think of Mike McClure, so when he agreed to sing on it we were all so excited; I’ve always been a big fan of Mike’s music.”
“Out Of Babylon”
“I started this song in 1998 and finally finished it in the afterglow of 911, thinking that the sky was falling. The first line was already done about the ‘skyscrapers reaching towards the sky,’ but really seemed to come together after the event we suffered through. Cody Canada sang on this tune with me. I remember hearing Oklahoma Legend Tom Skinner talk about Cody back when he was just a kid, couldn’t have been older than 13, Tom was telling everyone ‘man this kid is going to be a star,’ and he was right!
“White Van Blues”
“My home away from home is that damn white van. I’ve wore down I don’t know how many of them into the ground, hundreds of thousands of miles… ‘Runnin on fumes and attitude.’ One of my best friends in the world Stoney LaRue totally rocks on this song, and kicks it into another gear, as I knew he would, it’s definitely a toe tapper!
“Innocent Man”
“Randy Rogers and I wrote this song inspired by the John Grisham book ‘The Innocent Man’ about an Oklahoma Baseball player sent to Death Row . Randy Rogers and Stoney LaRue both contributed their vocals to this number.
“Streets Of North Hollywood”
“Most of my songs come from some sort of personal experience, but this is the first song written from the female point of view. While I was recording in Hollywood a few years back, walking to the studio from my hotel on Sunset Blvd. I came across a homeless woman, I tried to imagine how she got to where she was, so I invented this fictional tale. Jared Tyler plays some amazing lap steel, as well as world class vocals. Stoney LaRue also sings on the bridge with Jared, it’s amazing how similar they sound; found out they both sang together for years in FFA in Oklahoma.”
“Marching Toward The Guns”
“I was listening to a General speak, he said there are two kinds of people in this world, people who hear guns and run in the opposite direction, and those that march towards them. Two of my biggest Tulsa Guitar Heroes Steve Pryor and Brad Absher laid down some blistering solos on this song,, and Brad showed he’s more that just a great guitarist with the soulful verse he sang.
“We Could Go To Paris”
“Paris is the ‘City Of Lights’. It would be great to be in Paris and be in love, like stepping into a painting on the wall. I tried to change it up a little bit on this song, and brought in Brian Haas from Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey who played his patented style rhodes piano to give the song that Parisian flair as well as Pat Savage with some tasty gut string guitar.
“Hearts Don’t Break Even”
“We knew we were onto something special with this song, it has a great hook, so we just tried to use a lot of visual imagery to compliment the melody. It works on a couple different levels, both as a heart breaking into pieces, as well as breaking even in gambling. One of my favorite performers to watch, Brady Black lays down a mean fiddle part and really completes the song.”
“Ricardo’s Cadillac”
”I remember being a kid riding in a car, and feeling so free. I couldn’t wait to grow up and experience that freedom for myself. We tried to showcase one of the hidden talents of Tulsa on this song; Travis Fite, he has a very unique voice, not mention being an amazing instrumentalist.
“Each Step You Take”
“’The more you learn, the less you know’. Wrote this song with my friend Bob Wiles (formally of the legendary Red Dirt) about 12 years ago, and it still rings true today. Red Dirt Ranger John Cooper played some mandolin and sang backup along with Travis Fite on this one.