Fanatic is a music marketing company established by Josh Bloom in 1997 to build fan-to-fan connections between artists and the media. For 25 years, Fanatic has continued to help launch careers through the strategic advocacy of creative talent.
Friday, May 21, 2021
He is not cool? Chris J Norwood’s humble, honest, often humorous songwriting makes “I Am Not Cool” pretty cool. New album out Aug. 20th.
Hear title track, out everywhere now, via Americana
Highways. New album follows-up 2017’s Longshot.
Artist plays hometown show tonight. +++
Chris
J Norwood as photographed
by Alyssa Leigh Cates +++ PLAY, POST & SHARE Chris J Norwood | “I Am Not Cool”
“Unpretentious and genuine.” — Americana
Highways
Check out the title track from I Am Not Cool by Chris J Norwood at Americana
Highways or at the link below. “Anytime I start a new album I usually demo out each
track on my own, with some demos being more fleshed out than others,” says Chris J Norwood. “‘I Am Not Cool’ was one that I had a pretty clear vision on from
the beginning. “We tried a bunch of things in the studio with the rest
of the guys in the band, but ultimately just kept coming back to how the demo
sounded and went off of that. This track is one of the most ‘me’ sounding
tracks that I've ever released, and it ended up setting the tone for how the
rest of the album sounds.Certainly,
still rooted in Americana and Singer-Songwriter vibes, but definitely less
twangy and more produced.”
“His clear, plain-spoken tone is ideal for this type
of storytelling.” — Dallas Morning News “A tale about the uncertainties of life and the
adventures it may bring.” — Central
Track “Talk about making a statement. Norwood’s debut album introduces a compelling new songwriter to the
Texas Americana scene.” — Twangville “[A] searing summer song set that Americana, Folk, and
Alternative Country fans will all love.” — Buddy
Magazine “I can’t wait to see what else Chris J Norwood has for
us in the future.” — Wild Roots Magazine +++ Chris J Norwood I
Am Not Cool Aug. 20th, 2021 (State Fair Records)
Track Listing: 01. I Am Not Cool (Prologue) 02. The Final Girl (VIDEO) 03. Good Guy With A Gun 04. Creature of Bad Habits 05. Leaving Louisiana Behind 06. I Am Not Cool (STREAM | LYRIC VIDEO) 07. 85 Feet 08. Grandpa Was A Farmer 09. I Need You (To Quit Breaking My Heart) 10. Home Is You And Me 11. Love And Mercy 12. I Wrote You A Song +++ Chris J Norwood | Live
05/21/2021: Dallas, TX @ Oak Highlands Brewery 06/04/2021: McKinney, TX @ Texas Music Revolution +++ Chris J Norwood | About Chris
Norwood isn’t cool. Or Chris J
Norwood, as the Dallas-based singer-songwriter bills himself, is not cool. So “not cool” that when searching for a synonym for
“uncool” that starts with “J” in order to complete a lame joke, this writer
could not find one. Pretty damn uncool. Norwoodis honest,
however, and in a world that becomes more cynical by the moment, the kind of
honesty that he conjures and delivers so eloquently and elegantly on his new,
very uncool, album I Am Not Cool (Aug. 20th,
State Fair Records), well, that kind of uncool is... cool? The album is the follow-up to Norwood’s much-praised 2017 debut record Longshot. In addition to Norwood’s
genial ability to say things you may not want to hear and leave you
appreciating the experience, he is also masterful at a kind of tongue-in-cheek
levity that is sorely missing from this genre. There’s only two kinds of music / What’s true and what
ain’t / It only takes three chords to set the record straight Norwood sings these lyrics on the “I Am Not Cool” title cut, a perfect example of how his economy of
words is quizzical, meta, and puts a smile on your face all at the same time. But, wait, there’s more. Norwood really gets going on the album’s second single “I Need You (To Quit Breaking My Heart),”
which is such a plainly evocative song title that other songwriters should be
shaking a fist in Norwood’s general
direction for thinking of it first. A universal sentiment succinctly stated. “It’s a 10-year marriage kind of love song,” he says
of the tune, and as if to hammer that description home, Norwood’s wife Carrie
joins him on vocals, which adds a whole new level of “what is going on here?!”
to the proceedings. Further on, “Good
Guy With A Gun” will remind listeners of the political rhetoric it
references, but is more tragically tied to the songs from Norwood’s debut album, which dove head-first into his very personal
story of growing up as a child of a father who died by his own hand. “This song is about that,” he explains, “But more than
that it’s about the ridiculous theory that the NRA likes to tout. The only way
to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun? My dad was a good guy
with a gun, so how were we supposed to stop him from killing himself?” Once again, it is astounding how Norwood is able to take such personal matters, write about them with
conviction and clarity, make it catchy and memorable, and make you feel like
you challenged yourself and had a chuckle all at once. Uncool? Hmm. Frankly, Norwood
says that claiming himself “uncool” may be an awful career move. “I’ll either
make it or break it as uncool Chris J
Norwood,” he opines on the topic. But, the thing is, Norwood’s work is righteous no matter how it is perceived by anyone
who makes judgments about “career moves.” This brand of vulnerable,
self-effacing songwriting, salted with a bit of required brainpower... it’s
unique. And it’s here to stay. Maybe the J stands for “justified?” I Am Not Cool, the second album by Chris J
Norwood arrives via State Fair
Records on Aug. 20th,
preceded by the singles “I Am Not Cool”
(May 21st), “I Need You
(To Quit Breaking My Heart)” (June 18th), and “Good Guy With A Gun” (July 23rd.)
Chris J Norwood is
available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom
at Fanatic for more information.
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