Sounds Like Life
Encyclopedia
Sounds Like Life is American country music
singer Darryl Worley
's sixth studio album. It was released on June 9, 2009 by the Stroudavarious label. The first single "Tequila on Ice" peaked at #44 in 2008, and the second single "Sounds Like Life to Me" became his first Top 40 country hit since "I Just Came Back from a War" in 2007. Worley co-wrote eight of the songs on this album. Sounds Like Life is produced by Stroudavarious Records founder James Stroud
, who also produced Worley's first two albums.
of country band Shenandoah
) about the death of former Shenandoah bass guitar
ist Ralph Ezell, who died in 2007. Worley said that the song was "dead-on" for him, and thought that its second very closely paralleled the relationship between him and his brother. Track 3, "Slow Dancing with a Memory", was carried over from Worley's last album, 2006's Here and Now
.
of Allmusic rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five. He considered it an improvement in quality over Worley's albums for DreamWorks Records
and thought that the slower-tempo songs such as "Tequila on Ice" worked best. Of those songs, he said, "even if they're cluttered with cliché
s, they're executed well, emphasizing Worley's low-key charms[.]"
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Darryl Worley
Darryl Worley
Darryl Wade Worley is an American country music artist. Signed to DreamWorks Records Nashville in 2000, Worley released four albums for the label: Hard Rain Don't Last , I Miss My Friend , Have You Forgotten? , and Darryl Worley in 2004...
's sixth studio album. It was released on June 9, 2009 by the Stroudavarious label. The first single "Tequila on Ice" peaked at #44 in 2008, and the second single "Sounds Like Life to Me" became his first Top 40 country hit since "I Just Came Back from a War" in 2007. Worley co-wrote eight of the songs on this album. Sounds Like Life is produced by Stroudavarious Records founder James Stroud
James Stroud
James Stroud is an American musician and record producer who works in pop, rock, and country music. In the 1990s he was the president of Giant Records and held several credits as a session drummer...
, who also produced Worley's first two albums.
"Tequila on Ice"
"Tequila on Ice" was released as the first single from the album. It peaked at #44 on the country charts in mid-2008."Sounds Like Life to Me"
Co-written by Worley with Wynn Varble (who has also written several of Worley's other singles) and Phil O'Donnell, "Sounds Like Life to Me" is the album's second single release. It has become Worley's first Top 20 country hit since "I Just Came Back from a War" in late 2006-early 2007."Best of Both Worlds"
"Best of Both Worlds" was released as the album's third single in early 2010, and reached a peak of #43 on the country charts in March 2010.Other songs
Worley wrote the majority of the tracks with his regular co-writers, including Wynn Varble and Don Poythress. The final track, "You Never Know", was written by Jimmy Yeary and Mike McGuire (respectively the lead singer and drummerDrummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
of country band Shenandoah
Shenandoah (band)
Shenandoah is an American country music group founded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama in 1984 by Marty Raybon , Ralph Ezell , Stan Thorn , Jim Seales , and Mike McGuire...
) about the death of former Shenandoah bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist Ralph Ezell, who died in 2007. Worley said that the song was "dead-on" for him, and thought that its second very closely paralleled the relationship between him and his brother. Track 3, "Slow Dancing with a Memory", was carried over from Worley's last album, 2006's Here and Now
Here and Now (Darryl Worley album)
Here and Now is the fifth album of country music singer Darryl Worley. It was released on November 21, 2006 on 903 Music, which was owned by country singer Neal McCoy. This album produced two chart singles for Worley on the Hot Country Songs charts: "Nothin' but a Love Thang" at #36, and "I Just...
.
Critical reception
Stephen Thomas ErlewineStephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
of Allmusic rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five. He considered it an improvement in quality over Worley's albums for DreamWorks Records
DreamWorks Records
DreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...
and thought that the slower-tempo songs such as "Tequila on Ice" worked best. Of those songs, he said, "even if they're cluttered with cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
s, they're executed well, emphasizing Worley's low-key charms[.]"
Track listing
- "Honkytonk Life" (Marty Dodson, Sean Patrick McGrawSean Patrick McGrawSean Patrick McGraw, a country music singer, is a former Nashville Star semi-finalist who leads a prominent unsigned touring act. Following the 2005 release of his CD Songs for Saturday Night, McGraw and his band went on tour and continue to be on the road...
) – 3:35 - "Best of Both Worlds" (Jim Brown, Darryl Worley) – 3:53
- "Slow Dancin' with a Memory" (Don Poythress, Wynn Varble, Worley) – 3:43
- "Sounds Like Life to MeSounds Like Life to Me"Sounds Like Life to Me" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Darryl Worley. His seventeenth single release, it is the second single from his sixth studio album, Sounds Like Life...
" (Phil O'Donnell, Varble, Worley) - 3:44 - "Doin' What's Right" (Dan Demay, Worley) – 3:26
- "Tequila on Ice" (Dodson, Rivers RutherfordRivers RutherfordRivers Rutherford is an American country music songwriter. Active since the mid-1990s as a songwriter, he has penned several Number One country hits, including "Ain't Nothing 'bout You" by Brooks & Dunn, which was the Number One country song of 2001 according to Billboard...
) – 3:00 - "Everyday Love" (Poythress, Varble, Worley) – 3:11
- "Nothing but Money" (Brown, Steve Leslie, Worley) – 3:53
- "Don't Show Up (If You Can't Get Down)" (Brown, Kevin Grantt, Worley) – 6:09
- featuring Bill Anderson, John AndersonJohn Anderson (musician)John David Anderson is an American country music artist with a successful career that has lasted more than 30 years...
, Mel TillisMel TillisLonnie Melvin Tillis , known professionally as Mel Tillis, is an American country music singer. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s, with a long list of Top 10 hits....
and Smash MouthSmash MouthSmash Mouth is an American rock band from San Jose, California. The band was formed in 1994, and was originally composed of Steve Harwell, Greg Camp, Paul De Lisle and Kevin Coleman as lead vocals, guitar, bass and drums respectively...
- featuring Bill Anderson, John Anderson
- "Messed Up in Memphis" (Demay, Leslie, Worley) – 3:51
- "You Never Know" (Mike McGuire, Billy Ryan, Jimmy Yeary) – 3:20
Album
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 172 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 26 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Independent Albums | 35 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
||||||||
| 2008 | "Tequila on Ice" | 44 | — | ||||||
| 2009 | "Sounds Like Life to Me Sounds Like Life to Me "Sounds Like Life to Me" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Darryl Worley. His seventeenth single release, it is the second single from his sixth studio album, Sounds Like Life... " |
11 | 84 | ||||||
| 2010 | "Best of Both Worlds" | 43 | — | ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||