Listen to the new single HERE
NASHVILLE, TN – Bringing the culture of the West to life comes naturally to Americana Original, Singer/Songwriter, Jill Riley, a fourth-generation member of the Cluck’s, a Texas cattle ranching family. Decades of the family history reverberate throughout her forthcoming fall release, Common Ground, a 12-song album filled with stories about colorful characters and heartfelt observations on life, generations, and the ties that bind. The album won the Anthem Film Festival Award for Best Original Score.
Riley wrote and produced the album’s songs, including the debut single, “Cowboy Hats & Cadillacs,” which she recorded in Amarillo, Texas. The track releases today, Friday, July 7th, on streaming platforms. The song tells the story of the contentious debates and resulting divisions among her family’s second and third-generation cattlemen which Riley witnessed first-hand growing up, and how the specter of those conflicts loomed over every funeral of the second-generation Clucks. She says, “at a time when we should be celebrating the life of the deceased, in many cases the tension could be cut with a knife.” Listen to the new single here.
The native Texan’s love of music and her obsession with storytelling began with her mother’s purchase of I’m Jessi Colter, which changed Riley’s life forever. Soon after, Riley was soaking up Wanted! The Outlaws, by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Tompall Glaser, and more of Colter. “There’s something about steel guitar that just absolutely rips me,” Riley says. “All of the cowboys in my family listened to Waylon and Willie. Those artists weren’t going to let the Nashville machine dictate who they were to be, and I love that.”
Influenced by Colter and Rickie Lee Jones, Emmylou Harris, and Tanya Tucker, Riley developed her own unique style, and it was at that intersection of musical inspiration and self-discovery that she birthed the Common Ground album and the new single, “Cowboy Hats & Cadillacs.”
“It’s incredibly special to me that during the process of writing this album and diving deep into our family history and heritage, I learned things I hope will be encouraging to others,” she says. “I came to the realization that what divides a family divides a nation.” She continues, “If you’re tired of the divisiveness tearing people and our country apart, I sincerely hope that my music helps you reconcile those divisions and return to love.”
Stream the single here
Watch the new lyric video here
Website: www.commongroundalbum.com
Facebook: @JillRileyOfficial
Instagram: @CommonGround.Album
Tour Information: Common Ground Tour