Warren Brothers – King of Nothing

Brett and Brad Warren have hit the road with country music superstars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw on their separate tours. And when the “first couple” decided to headline their own Soul 2 Soul Tour together, they inked in the Warren Brothers as their opening act. George Strait invited them to join his stadium tour this summer, which is a huge honor. Obviously there is something special about these fellas if they are in such demand by their colleagues. Brett, Brad and their rowdy band have rocked the house, and sometimes even stole the show, in front of thousands of fans at sold out arenas. But for some reason, country radio has not given these talented brothers the airplay their songs deserve. Their first album, Beautiful Day in the Cold, Cruel World had marginal radio success. King of Nothing is the Warren Brother’s sophomore album, and it just may behold the hits to get them in the top of the charts. (Not that the Warren Brothers care about a #1âÂ?¦they just want to play their music.)

First of all, I’d like to point out something unique about this album. Most Nashville recording artists will use the same few studio musicians on their album. Not the Warren Brothers! They use their live band on the album as well. So, what you hear on the album is exactly what you get liveâÂ?¦well, maybe a little more tame! And, 9 of the 11 songs were written by the duo.

The CD starts out with the groovy beat of “Strange”. The singer is going to his best friend’s brother’s wedding to get food and drinks for free, but what happens? He falls for a bridesmaid! The chorus says, “Life all comes down to a couple moments, when just like that, everything can change/ You open up your eyes and in an instant, nothing will be the same/Ain’t life strange?” The song has very clever lyrics, and surprisingly, was only one of two songs not written by the boys. It is just their style!

The current single is “Move On”, with a very catchy melody, that says when love ends, their isn’t anything you can about it, but move on. The very contagious chorus of “Do-Ya” makes the song a contender for a hit single. A guy is tired of his girl sitting on the fence, so he wants to know how she feels. (“Do ya love me, do ya need me, do you want me?”) It even has a little humor, which Brett and Brad are good at throwing in. (“I’ve been waiting a so long for an answer, my clothes are coming back in style.) The most rousing, upbeat song on the album is “It Ain’t Me.” And, it is obvious their keyboard player co-wrote it by the awesome keys in the forefront. This song has attitude, as he tells the girl, “Shut up and get out of my truck!” “Superstar” gives a glimpse into the not so nice side of the music industry. (A similar subject matter of Tom Petty’s “Into the Great Wide Open”.) A young girl heads to Nashville to live out her dad’s dream of country musicâÂ?¦starts off nice. But, she falls for a married producer just to get her songs to RCA (a little plug there for their own label). She has some success, but goes downhill. There goes another superstar, they say. “What We Can’t Have” is one of those songs that makes you think about what you have. Just when you think someone else has the world, you realize they want to be like you. In the song, a bar musician imagines what it would be like to be the rich guy in the corner booth, and get out of work at a decent hour. Then, the rich man comes up and puts $20 in his tip jar and tells him he’d like to play guitar and sing.

These brothers may be a bit wild, but they do have a tender side. They are both husbands and fathers and can write some heart-felt ballads. “Where Does it Hurt” is a wonderful song that highlights sentimental moments between parents and children when one is hurting and the other tries to healâÂ?¦from a little boo-boo to a teenage pregnancy. “Waiting for the Light to Change” tells the story of a guy waiting at a red light contemplating his decision of leaving his girl.

You don’t have to be a Warren Brothers fan, or a country music fan to have heard the gem of this album, “That’s the Beat of a Heart.” This song was featured on the tear-jerker Where the Heart Is, starring Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd. In fact, the song basically is the premise of the movie. What an honor for these guys to be a part of such a project. Labelmate Sara Evans lends her angelic voice to this song. And, in the video, not only can you see scenes from the film, but also clips of Brett, Brad and Sara with their little sons. One of the other real highlights of this album is the title track, “King of Nothing”. This song exemplifies the stellar guitar playing talent of Brad Warren. He is just may be the king of something hereâÂ?¦

The Warren Brothers are different. They have a style all their own, and absolutely don’t play by the so-called rules of country music. Maybe that’s what scares radio program directors. But what is there to be afraid of? They are just two brothers with an extreme knack for writing (sometimes witty, sometimes deep), kick butt guitar playing and performing. Give them a listen, and you will be hooked. In fact, when I popped in King of Nothing, I actually had to take the Warren Brother’s Beautiful Day in the Cold, Cruel World” CD out of my stereo.