Craig Morgan’s recent EP, Enlisted features some of the biggest names in modern country music. Last week, he gave his fans and followers a glimpse of what it was like to work with Jelly Roll on “Almost Home.”
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Morgan wrote “Almost Home” and released it as the second single from his 2003 album I Love It. The song became his first top-10 hit. More importantly, the lyrics resonated with listeners everywhere. It just so happened that one of those listeners was Jelly Roll. In fact, the song helped set him on the path to country music.
Last year, Jelly Roll shared the Grand Ole Opry stage with Morgan to perform “Almost Home.” Before getting into the song, the rapper-turned-singer said, “Shortly after I got out of jail, I sat right there in row 7 and I cried like a baby and watched him sing. I remember thinking ‘I want to make people feel the way he makes me feel right now.’”
So, when it came time to record a new version of “Almost Home” for Enlisted, Morgan knew who to call. In a recent interview with American Songwriter, Morgan recalled what it was like to work with Jelly Roll in the studio. “It was special,” Morgan said. “It was a full circle event. After he stood on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, telling that story and us doing that song together. Everybody talks about … how important that song was to him. What they don’t understand or don’t know, it was just as impacting, his story was just as impacting on me as the song was to him,” he added.
Enlisted sees Morgan sharing moments with Jelly Roll, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, and Trace Adkins. However, he told American Songwriter, the EP came about because his managers wanted him to re-record “Redneck Yacht Club.”
“I said, I’m not re-recording ‘Redneck Yacht Club.’ I’m just not going to do it. I’ve got too many good songs that are new songs that I want people to hear,” Morgan recalled. At the time, he and Billy Dean had just finished writing “Raise the Bar” which would become the only new song on the EP. Ignoring what his managers wanted, he went into the studio to record the new song.
While working on “Raise the Bar,” Morgan had doubts about releasing it. “We should pitch this to Luke [Combs]. I might not do it myself, let’s pitch it to Luke.” However, after finishing the vocal track, he changed his mind. “You know what, I am keeping the song. But let’s see if Luke will do it with me. That would be a cool thing,” he decided. Combs’ decision to jump on the song sparked the fire that would later become Enlisted. He picked a handful of songs and called some of his favorite artists and closest friends in the industry to make the EP happen.
Photo by Nate Griffin
