Rascal Flatts 'Still Feels Good' album

Five studio albums into their incredible career, the members of Rascal Flatts find themselves firmly atop the music world. Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney have scaled unbelievable heights in the eight years since their debut, and yet with the release of Still Feels Good, they find their fortunes still rising. For proof, they need to look no further than the CD's first #1 single, "Take Me There," their fastest-rising ever.

Song by song, concert by concert, they continue to add to their stature. They were, for starters, the top-selling artist of 2006--in all genres of music. They scanned five million units, meaning that 1 of every 14 country CDs sold last year was a Rascal Flatts record. Their last CD, Me And My Gang, sold more than 721,000 copies in its first week, leading the band to become the top-selling artist in all of music, the first time in 15 years a country artist achieved that milestone. Their 2006 tour played to over 1 million fans in 74 cities, with 61 of those appearances sellouts, including those in L.A.'s Staples Center, New York's Madison Square Garden, and Nashville's Sommet Center. They broke venue attendance records throughout the tour. Rascal Flatts has also become one of the most consistently awarded acts in history, with their 2007 ACM Vocal Group of the Year award, their fifth, tying them with all-time super-group Alabama for most consecutive wins in that category.

The trio has long been accustomed to working with the best songwriters in the genre, and Still Feels Good is no exception. Jeffrey Steele, Neil Thrasher, Wendell Mobley, Hillary Lindsey and Tony Martin all contributed songs, and "Take Me There" boasts the ultimate in superstar writers--Kenny Chesney, who co-wrote the out-of-the-box smash with Thrasher and Mobley.

"That's a very special song," says Joe Don. "We knew it when we heard the demo, which we got at the 11th hour. It's just a great sentiment that speaks to the women big time. It shows the power of a great song."

Beyond the opening single, the album contains yet another measure of the talent and versatility Gary, Jay and Joe Don bring to their art. Still Feels Good reflects their biggest contribution as songwriters to any of their CDs. Jay teamed with Thrasher and Mobley for "No Reins," an exhilarating look at a woman embracing her freedom, and Gary worked with the same duo to write the title cut, a celebration of lasting love, and with Thrasher and Michael Dulaney for "Bob That Head," a bit of power country about the joys of riding around town in a tricked-out truck with a great sound system. All three teamed up on "Winner At A Losing Game," which brings lustrous harmonies on loss and heartache, and "She Goes All The Way," a bit of aural sensuality written with Monty Powell and featuring the first-ever Rascal Flatts duet, with Gary trading lead vocals with his longtime friend Jamie Foxx.

"It was an easy song to write once we had the first few lines," says Jay, "and it's a really wonderful thing to have Jamie join us on the record. We run into him at awards shows and he always tells us how much he enjoys the music and how proud he is of Gary. We sent the song to him early this year and he said he'd love to do it."

"He said he'd do it if we sing on one of his records," adds Gary with a laugh, "so it's a pretty good swap! He's an incredible talent and he came to Nashville just after finishing his comedy tour to work with us on it."

Throughout the project, the harmonies are rich and scintillating, and critics say Gary continues to bolster the case for himself as one of popular music's most technically proficient and emotionally moving vocalists.

"I think lyrically this is the strongest album we've ever done," says Gary. "It's genuinely taken us to the next level. I think that in working with [producer] Dann Huff, the four of us have really got something special when it comes to capturing on CD what we do live. It perfectly captures the way we've grown as songwriters, as musicians and as people, and it's the proudest I've ever been of a project."

The relationship between the group and Huff, who produced Me and My Gang and has also worked with Faith Hill and Keith Urban among others, has quickly grown into one of Nashville's most inspired.

"We learned how to work with Dann last time," says Jay, "and because we had that foundation established, we were able to do even better things with him and he was able to pull even more out of us. I honestly think this is the best music Rascal Flatts has made."

Together, they are crafting music that is as exhilarating as it is distinctive, with impeccably soaring harmonies and feel-good grooves. Though they deal with the gamut of human emotion, the cumulative feel of a Rascal Flatts record is life-affirming, and fans by the millions have responded positively and passionately.

The Rascal Flatts love affair with those fans began with "Praying For Daylight," the first single from their double platinum self-titled debut album, released in 2000. It was the first of four hits from the CD, and the fourth, "I'm Movin' On," would establish the group's ability to combine song and performance in a way that defines a moment and moves past hit to standard. It was a process they would repeat with "Bless The Broken Road," "What Hurts The Most" and "My Wish" as they came to define a new generation of country fans. With each new album came new milestones. The double-platinum I Melt came as they won the CMA Horizon Award and led to nods as both the ACM's and CMA's Vocal Group of the Year. Feels Like Today, released in 2004, debuted at #1 in both pop and country and sold nearly 5 million copies. It spawned the #2 tour of 2005, with 750,000 fans in 70 cities, and led to a host of awards and honors, including Grammys for Country Song of the Year ("Bless The Broken Road") and Vocal Performance. It also marked their emergence both as co-producers and as bona fide superstars. Along the way, they have released nine #1 songs and 17 Top 10 hits.

With Me And My Gang and now Still Feels Good, they take another step in an epic journey that began near Columbus, Ohio. Gary and Jay were second cousins from a musical family, long on both dreams and talent. Jay took his voice and instrumental skills (he plays guitar, bass, keyboards, mandolin, and others) to Nashville in 1992, earning his first record deal as part of a Christian group called East to West. In 1997, he finally convinced a reluctant Gary to leave behind his job with the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and follow his musical dreams as well.

Jay landed a gig in Chely Wright's band, and there he met Joe Don, who had nurtured his own dreams and talent in tiny Picher, Oklahoma. Jay and Gary were working in a Printer's Alley nightclub, and when their part-time guitarist couldn't make it one night, Jay invited Joe Don to sit in. A few bars into the first song, they knew they had something special. They recorded some demos, which caught the favorable attention of Lyric Street Senior VP of A&R Doug Howard and led to musical history.

Through the years since, they have played the Opry, appeared on the soundtrack of CARS by recording the song “Life Is A Highway,” which became one of 2006’s most digitally downloaded tunes and also a multi-award nominated song. Most recently, they did a fiery cover of the Beatles' "Revolution" for the Evan Almighty soundtrack. All have settled into happy married life--Gary has two daughters, Brittany, 7, and Brooklyn, 3--and all are committed to sharing their good fortune. To cite just one charity, they have donated $1.4 million to the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.

They remain in awe of the success they have earned through the years.

"We dreamed some big dreams," says Joe Don. "We were looking for the rocket ride. But I don't think we ever dreamed the things that have happened to us. Everybody in the industry sees the same charts and sales figures every week, and for us to see our names at the top of those lists gives you a whole different perspective. It's gratifying and it's humbling."

"We just want to make the best music we can," adds Jay, "and I think we've been surprised ourselves with how much the fans have loved what we've done. It's incredible how much we've been blessed."

For Gary, the bottom line is consistent and easy to understand. "We've worked really hard from day one," he says, "and we know who employs us. It's the fans, and we've tried to give back to them musically what they've given us. We love them like they love us."

"Take Me There" Video Treatment
This video will deliver the best of both worlds. Hip and edgy west coast surf culture and a real world girl with natural beauty from a more rural area much like the Mid West but not. This video hits the young demographic square between the eyes relating to their rebellious, free spirited, fun lifestyle.

We open on two good-looking yet edgy surfer guys getting ready to hit the water. They’re pulling their boards from their van when up drives a very attractive girl in a Jeep style Bronco. As she parks across from our surfers the camera focuses on one of the two guys. We’ll call this guy Blake, Blake can’t help but stare as she hops out of her vehicle. This is someone he’s never seen around here before and that intrigues him.

Blake nudges his buddy…
Blake
You ever scene that girl before?

Friend
(looking over at the girl)
No…maybe we’ll see her tonight at the party.

Blake takes a step toward camera focusing more intently on her as we fade to black…

When we come up from black the camera is traveling along the Malibu coastline at night from a helicopter perspective. The searchlight from the helicopter illuminates the water and beaches as it goes by.

Cut to a hilltop party with a large crowd of young partiers. We move with Blake through the crowd of people until we see the hot girl from the opening scene standing off to the side. Their eyes meet then they share a subtle smile.

Cut to Jay making his way through the crowd to an old couch were he finds his bass guitar and amp waiting for him.

Cut to Joe Don as he pulls his guitar strap over his head and rests it comfortably on his shoulder.

Cut to Gary standing in the middle of the crowd of people. The people at the party do not react to Rascal Flatts at all. Everything is shot in slow motion so the action of the party just seems to dramatically happen all around them. It should feel more conceptual, like the guys aren’t really there, more metaphoric.

Gary begins to sing then we cut back to Blake who is now talking to his friends but continues to take his attention to the girl from time to time.

Our girl is now talking with a couple of girls and also seems to be drawn to Blake.

Cut back to the helicopter shot that turns dramatically inland from the coast heading into the hills and canyons.

Cut back to the party where we focus on a series of performance shots from the guys.

At 49 seconds we see the helicopter ascend upon the party like something out of an epic movie. The searchlight pans across the crowd as the young partiers retreat to the vehicles and take off.

Cut to our girl as she shifts her vehicle into first gear ready to speed away but before she can Blake jumps into her passenger’s seat. She hesitates for only a moment then smiles as she pops the clutch and takes off with Blake as her welcomed passenger.

We cover a series of fun driving shots as they travel through some back road canyons at night.

The performance area doesn’t change for Rascal Flatts. They continue to perform from the hilltop after the crowd has left.
The performance scene is art directed to reflect the after math of the party with old couches and chairs left behind in the trampled dry wheat grass. In the wide shots the backdrop will reflect a beautiful early morning sky that feels deep blue in color. As the sun begins to rise we will shoot more wide shots and abstract silhouettes of the guys for unique cutaways. The tight and medium shots will be shot at night when we can control every bit of the lighting ensuring the best looks for the guys.

From this point forward, much like the European treatment, we follow the young couple as the girl takes our guy Blake on a journey inland to the more rural areas of southern California. I know personally that as you head north on the 101 you encounter some beautiful countryside even vineyards if we wanted to go there. There are also some amazing little towns tucked away in the canyons but mostly its beautiful landscapes. It’s really about watching the connection grow between them. A lot of this is driving footage and since we are in LA we can take full advantage of process trailers and other equipment that will allow us to shoot spectacular driving footage of the couple interacting comfortably as they drive. Every moment is a memory worth clinging to as Blake falls for this girl he knows so little about but wants to learn.

As the song nears the end we watch as they reach a hilltop together right at sunset. This is where we see them kiss for the very first time.

We now flash back to the party where Blake is standing still as if frozen in time with the searchlight of the police helicopter panning around him and people running to their cars. Music is still playing out as our girl pulls up quickly in her Bronco right in front of Blake.

Girl
(to Blake)
You need a ride.

Blake
(trying to gather himself)
Sure

Blake jumps in the car for real this time. She smiles at him as they quickly pull away. The scene fades to black.

The End

Do you also would like to share your opinion? If so, please register or login here.

Tags

Details

Popular Songs

New Songs

Tracklisting

Rascal Flatts - Still Feels Good