After more than a decade of writing songs for others, hit songwriter Neil Medley takes the spotlight. The Nashville-based singer/songwriter will release South End Kid on September 29 via his own Son of A Carl label with help from River House Artists.
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“For the past 12 years, I have made a living writing songs for other artists,” Medley said in a release. “I’ve sat in writing rooms tailoring stories and melodies to fit someone else’s voice, while always keeping one eye on current trends and the other on the past.
“South End Kid is a project void of all such compromises,” he continued. “It’s a wide-open highway of personal stories, told in my voice, exactly the way I wanted to tell them. South End Kid is an album that I would want to go out and buy. And if I love it, there was a little doubt others would too.”
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The Kentucky-born singer has had more than 70 cuts as a songwriter. His songs have been recorded by Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and Cody Johnson. Medley also co-wrote Jake Owen’s two-week No. 1 “Made for You.”
Medley penned 11 of the 12 songs on his forthcoming project, which features a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing In the Dark.” He describes South End Kid as “a country album that blends elements of Americana, country and rock in its production.” Aaron Eshuis (Ryan Hurd, Scotty McCreery) produced.
“My friend Aaron Eshuis had been urging me for years to make an album and in October of 2022, I made the call to let him know it was time,” Medley added. “We listened through hundreds of songs from my years of writing and picked the best of the best. Not just the best stories and melodies, but songs that best suited me as an artist. We also focused on songs that would fit perfectly in the sound we wanted for the entire album. We hired a few world-class players and spent a time in the studio giving life to these songs.”
The project features collaborations with co-writers Keith Gattis, Ryan Beaver and Jesse Jo Dillon. “Tucson” is out now. “Hangovers & Broken Hearts” will be available on Friday (Aug. 4). A complete track list for South End Kid follows.
South End Kid Track Listing:
1. “Two Bar Town” (Neil Medley, Randy Montana, Dave Kennedy)
2. “Us That I Miss” Feat. Ryan Beaver (Neil Medley, Aaron Eshuis, Ryan Beaver, Brinley Addington)
3. “South End Kid” (Neil Medley, Caroline Watkins)
4. “Hello, Goodbye” (Neil Medley, Tony Lane, John Pierce)
5. “Just A Simple Man” (Neil Medley, Steve Moakler, Andrew DeRoberts)
6. “Maliblue” (Neil Medley, Jesse Jo Dillon, Aaron Eshuis)
7. “Hangovers & Broken Hearts” (Neil Medley, Randy Montana, Josh Thompson)
8. “It’s Been Real” Feat. Jesse Jo Dillon (Neil Medley, Jesse Jo Dillon, Aaron Eshuis)
9. “Dancing In The Dark” (Bruce Springsteen)
10. “Tucson” (Neil Medley, Joey Hyde)
11. “Closer All The Time” Feat. Keith Gattis (Neil Medley, Keith Gattis)
12. “Like Him These Days” (Neil Medley, Neal Carpenter)
(Photo Credit: Jason Myers)
