You Do Your Thing

• Artist: Montgomery Gentry
• Rating:
• Release Date: May 18, 2004
• Genre: Country

Review

On album number four, Troy and Eddie make no major breaks with the tried and true formula that weds solid modern country music to the long raucous tradition of redneck rock. But then again, they don't need to. It's true, they streamline it, rock it up, and bring in some more rock & roll, but essentially, these cats lay down 12 very solid tracks written by a slew of Nash Vegas songwriters, most notably Rivers Rutherford, Jeffrey Steele, and Bob DiPiero, who wrote the lion's share of the set. Steele and Rutherford also produced various tracks, as did Blake Chancey and Joe Scaife. But it all comes down to the performances, and Montgomery Gentry sing these songs like they were their own. And in a sense, now they are. The album opens with, Something To Be Proud Of, a reflective country song that looks at the past as a way of informing the present. It's got the anthemic chorus, but for the most part it digs deep into the heart of country music. The red, white, and blue individualism of the title cut may be hard for some fans to swallow -- but unlike many others who sing anthems to jingoistic patriotism or make self-righteous accusatory judgments in the name of political correctness (the other censorship), these good ol' boys offer tolerance at the heart of their message and insist on it in return. (And the roaring refrain is on a wailing par with that of "My Town.") The album's first single, "If You Ever Stop Loving Me," with its crunching guitars in the refrain, popping banjo in the verse, and even hip-hop scratching in the backdrop, is the summertime country-rock anthem for 2004. Rebel rock granddaddy Hank Williams, Jr. shows up on "I Ain't Got It All That Bad," a rootsy, moving statement of gratitude and acceptance that is the most resonant track on the set. There is also the sheer rock & roll roar of cuts like "If It's the Last Thing I Do" and "Gone," and the hillbilly craziness of "I Got Drunk," written by one of this album's guitarists, David Grissom. Grissom, who spent many years with Joe Ely and later starred with the John Mellencamp band, outshines virtually everyone here with his searing tone, in-the-pocket licks, and soulful fills -- and he never overplays. There are even a couple of old-school love songs here in "She Loved Me" and the midtempo ballad "All I Know About Mexico." Ultimately, this is easily the finest outing by modern country's most relevant duo; it rocks, it's soulful, and it's memorable. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Something to Be Proud Of (Lyrics)	Jeffrey Steele, Chris Wallin	Montgomery Gentry	(4:16)
You Do Your Thing (Lyrics)	Casey Beathard, Ed Hill	Montgomery Gentry	(3:43)
If You Ever Stop Loving Me (Lyrics)	Bob DiPiero, Tom Shapiro, Rivers Rutherford	Montgomery Gentry	(3:24)
If It's the Last Thing I Do (Lyrics)	David Lee Murphy, Kim Tribble	Montgomery Gentry	(4:02)
She Loved Me (Lyrics)	Craig Wiseman, Jeffrey Steele	Montgomery Gentry	(3:58)
Gone (Lyrics)	Bob DiPiero, Jeffrey Steele	Montgomery Gentry	(4:11)
All I Know About Mexico (Lyrics)	Jeffrey Steele, Chris Wallin	Montgomery Gentry	(4:10)
I Got Drunk (Lyrics)		Montgomery Gentry	(4:14)
It's All Good (Lyrics)	B. Campbell	Montgomery Gentry	(3:58)
I Ain't Got It All That Bad	George Teren, Rivers Rutherford	Hank Williams, Jr., Montgomery Gentry	(3:23)
Talking to My Angel (Lyrics)	Jason Sellers, Michael Dulaney, Troy Gentry	Montgomery Gentry	(3:22)
I Never Thought I'd Live This Long (Lyrics)	Kelley Lovelace, Rivers Rutherford	Montgomery Gentry	(5:28)

Credits

Chip Matthews (Overdub Engineer), Bart Pursley (Overdub Engineer), Dan Dugmore (Guitar (Acoustic)), Tom Hambridge (Vocals (Background)), David Grissom (Musician), Dan Dugmore (Lap Steel Guitar), Steven Sheehan (Guitar (Acoustic)), Perry Coleman (Vocals (Background)), Natalie Miller (Make-Up), Deb Haus (Art Direction), Tony Castle (Audio Engineer), Gale West (Vocals (Background)), Pat Buchanan (Musician), Mel Eubanks (Assistant), Reese Wynans (Organ), David Grissom (Guitar (Electric)), Bryan Sutton (Bouzouki), Jim Horn (Musician), Angela Primm (Vocals (Background)), Gretchen Wilson (Musician), Eric Darken (Musician), Steven Sheehan (Musician), Tom Bukovac (Musician), Ronnie Thomas (Digital Editing), Steve Marcantonio (Engineer), Julian King (Mixing), Steve Marcantonio (Mixing), Chris Dunn (Musician), Reese Wynans (Organ (Hammond)), Shannon Forrest (Musician), Steve Patrick (Musician), Kenny Greenberg (Musician), Eddie Montgomery (Vocals), Deb Castle (Production Coordination), Joe Scaife (Vocals (Background)), Perry Coleman (Musician), Billy Panda (Guitar (Acoustic)), Angela Primm (Musician), Reese Wynans (Hammond B3), Bryan Sutton (Banjo), Natalie Miller (Hair Stylist), Bekka Bramlett (Musician), Tracy Baskette-Fleaner (Art Direction), Mark Hill (Bass), Sam Levine (Musician), Deb Haus (Artist Development), James Minchin (Photography), Tom Hambridge (Musician), Jim Horn (Horn), Russ Pahl (Musician), Jason Sellers (Vocals (Background)), Neil Thrasher (Musician), Billy Panda (Guitar (12 String Acoustic)), Greg Morrow (Percussion), Carie Higdon (Project Coordinator), Rivers Rutherford (Vocals (Background)), Wes Hightower (Vocals (Background)), Hank Williams (Mastering), Russ Pahl (Guitar (Steel)), Billy Sherrill (Overdubs), Hank Williams, Jr. (Vocals), Shannon Forest (Drums), Jeffrey Steele (Producer), Clay Bradley (A&R), Sam Levine (Horn), Tony Harrell (Musician), Billy Panda (Musician), Joe Scaife (Musician), David Grissom (Guitar (Acoustic)), Reese Wynans (Musician), Bekka Bramlett (Vocals (Background)), Joe Scaife (Audio Production), Dan Dugmore (Guitar (Steel)), J.C. Monterrosa (Assistant), Wes Hightower (Musician), Michael Rhodes (Musician), Gretchen Wilson (Vocals (Background)), Todd Gunnerson (Overdubs), John Willis (Bouzouki), Kay Smith (A&R), Richard Hanson (Assistant), Jeffrey Steele (Musician), Blake Chancey (Audio Production), Blake Chancey (Producer), Shannon Forrest (Drums), Mark Brown (A&R), Sylvia Meiler (Creative Producer), Troy Montgomery (Vocals), Butch Carr (Assistant), Dan Dugmore (Musician), Michael Rhodes (Bass), Russ Pahl (Banjo), Rivers Rutherford (Musician), Steve Patrick (Horn), Jeffrey Steele (Vocals (Background)), Rivers Rutherford (Producer), Tony Castle (Editing), Paul Hart (Assistant), Rivers Rutherford (Audio Production), Gale West (Musician), Tony Harrell (Keyboards), Rivers Rutherford (Guitar (Acoustic)), Kenny Greenberg (Guitar (Electric)), Greg Morrow (Drums), Mark Wright (Executive Producer), Pat Buchanan (Guitar (Electric)), Butch Carr (Overdubs), Jesse Amend (Assistant), Bryan Sutton (Musician), Tom Bukovac (Guitar (Electric)), Russ Pahl (Guitar (Acoustic)), Reese Wynans (Piano), Eric Darken (Percussion), Gabrielle West (Vocals (Background)), Tracy Baskette-Fleaner (Design), Chris Dunn (Horn), Tonya Derry (A&R), Mark Hill (Musician), Joe Scaife (Producer), Tony Castle (Engineer), Christiév Carothers (Stylist), Leslie Richter (Assistant), Greg Morrow (Musician), Jason Sellers (Musician), Neil Thrasher (Vocals (Background)), John Willis (Guitar (Acoustic))

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