“I lined up a babysitter and put on the only make up
and dress I’ve worn all week,” jokes Norwood’s wife on prepping for her role in
the ironic clip.
+++
Check out the video for the title track
from I Am Not Cool by Chris J Norwood
at The Boot
or listen at Americana
Highways or at the links above.
Song appears
on “plain-spoken” songwriter’s sophomore album, out Aug. 20th via
State Fair Records (Joshua Ray Walker, Ottoman Turks)
“This
video was so much fun to make," says Chris
J Norwood of the clip for “I Am Not
Cool,” the title track from his new album (Aug. 20th, State
Fair Records). “Getting to wear fancy clothes, getting to pretend I have
fans, and win awards. It’s a pretty perfect picture of my life and pretty
perfectly captures the sentiment of the lyrics.”
Norwood’s wife and bandmate Carrie Norwood agrees, “Preparing for this video wasn’t too
different from performing with the band. I lined up a babysitter, put on the
only make up and dress I’ve worn all week, had a great time singing with Chris, and came back home to kids who
will be waking up early needing breakfast.”
Director Randall
Marsrow, explains, “It shows two extremes of the ‘rockstar’ stereotype, and
to satirically juxtapose Chris’s
personality with a persona he doesn't actually embody. These two identities
that Chris portrays don't represent
a spectrum from self-obsessive to 'real,' both can actually be true. These two
characters can struggle within one person.”
Chris continues, “Anytime I start a new album I usually demo out each track
on my own, with some demos being more fleshed out than others,” he says of the
song itself, which Americana Highways
calls “unpretentious and genuine” in its premiere coverage of the tune. “‘I
Am Not Cool’ was one that I had a pretty clear vision on from the beginning.”
+++
Chris J Norwood | In The Press
“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
“Introduces a compelling new songwriter to the Texas
Americana scene.” — Twangville
+++
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
| VIDEO | 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
06/04/2021: McKinney, TX @ Texas Music Revolution
06/24/2021: Dallas, TX @ Adair's Saloon
06/27/2021: Arlington, TX @ Levitt Pavilion (w/ Texicana)
07/08/2021: Dallas, TX @ All Good Cafe (w/ Carrie Norwood)
07/10/2021: Mansfield, TX @ The Lot (w/ Texicana)
07/23/2021: Dallas, TX @ Skillman Bible Church (Skillman Sessions w/ Carrie Norwood)
+++
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.
Norwood is 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.
+++
Chris J
Norwood | Links
ASSETS : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : BANDCAMP : SPOTIFY : APPLE
: STATE FAIR RECORDS
+++
Josh Bloom at Fanatic
Promotion | Contact
WEBSITE
: FACEBOOK : TWITTER : INSTAGRAM : YOUTUBE : SOUNDCLOUD : SPOTIFY : BLOG : E-MAIL
No comments:
Post a Comment