Sara Smile

by Jimmy Wayne

Overview

Jimmy Wayne is no fool. While the five-year break between his 2003 debut and 2008's Do You Believe Me Now? was precipitated by one label going out of business and his contract being transferred to another -- given the fickle nature of radio programmers and audiences seeking the next big thing, it was a minor miracle that the title single hit the number one spot on Billboard's country chart. He knew not to tempt fate a second time. Wayne wasted no time; he toured hard to support it, and then jumped right back into the studio to record Sara Smile. The album is named after the Hall & Oates' classic -- they appear on it as well. It's a reverent version -- except for the banjo introducing it, and the Nashville production style that includes pedal steel, prominent fiddles, and mandolins. Wayne recorded the song for two reasons: it's the song that got him his first record deal as a singer, and because it has been a live staple since the beginning, his live audience demanded it. Wayne basically apes Hall's lead vocal -- including falsetto -- note for note. The smooth Hall & Oates backing vocal ices the cake. And despite it appearing on a contemporary country record, it is still unmistakably a soul song and Wayne pulls it off in spades. Wayne wrote or co-wrote four of the album's ten tracks. Other notables include the anthemic "Things I Believe," with its bluegrass banjo and cracking snare drum. "Just Knowing You Love Me" also pays its own kind of tribute -- musically anyway -- to the John Mellencamp Lonesome Jubilee album, with its Lisa Germano-esque fiddle in between verses and the structure of the refrains. But it's a killer track with Wayne's great lyrics and the infectious melody that rouses the listener to believe every word from the protagonist's mouth. Another original number, "I'll Never Leave You," is a country ballad with a gentle beatbox rhythm track, but otherwise drenched in acoustic and electric guitars. The melody is instantly memorable; the emotion in Wayne's voice is direct, and rings true as the morning sun. Other than the title cut, it's the best love song on the album. Three full-lengths in, Wayne is transcending his singles artist status and becoming an album-oriented one because of the musical consistency and hardcore emotional intensity of his singing and writing.

Product Details

Release Date:	11/23/2009
Label:	Valory
UPC:	0843930002979
catalogNumber:	3000297

Tracks

1. Things I Believe
2. All The Time in the World
3. Sara Smile
4. Just Knowing You Love Me
5. Just Look At You
6. Counting The Days
7. There's A Memory
8. Belongs To You
9. I'll Never Leave You
10. Elephant Ears

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jimmy Wayne   Primary Artist
Daryl Hall   Background Vocals
Eric Darken   Percussion
Dan Dugmore   Electric Guitar
Paul Franklin   Steel Guitar
Dann Huff   Mandolin,Electric Guitar
Chris McHugh   Drums
John Oates   Background Vocals
Scott Sanders   Steel Guitar
Jimmie Lee Sloas   Bass
Lonnie Wilson   Drums
Jonathan Yudkin   Bass,Fiddle,Mandolin,Violin,Cello,Viola
Jimmy Nichols   Keyboards
John Shanks   Electric Guitar
Wes Hightower   Background Vocals
Tom Bukovac   Electric Guitar
Jimmy Wayne   Acoustic Guitar,Background Vocals
Mark Hill   Bass
Ilya Toshinsky   Acoustic Guitar
Andy Leftwich   Fiddle
Tim Marks   Bass
Nathan Chapman   Acoustic Guitar
Nick Buda   Drums
Charlie Judge   Percussion,Strings,Keyboards,Loops
Jake Clayton   Fiddle
Mike Johnson   Steel Guitar

Technical Credits

Don Henry   Composer
Daryl Hall   Composer
Tony Martin   Composer
Derek Bason   Engineer
Brett Beavers   Composer
Mark Hagen   Engineer
Dann Huff   Producer
Steve Marcantonio   Engineer
John Oates   Composer
Steve Robson   Composer
Jonathan Yudkin   Arranger,Composer
Mark Bright   Producer
Tom Shapiro   Composer
John Shanks   Composer
Keith Urban   Composer
Rivers Rutherford   Composer
J.R. Rodriguez   Engineer
Dave Berg   Composer
Jimmy Wayne   Composer
Bob Regan   Composer
Ron Roark   Graphic Design
Hillary Lindsey   Composer
Scott Borchetta   Executive Producer
Sean McConnell   Composer
Whitney Sutton   Copy Coordination
Nathan Chapman   Producer
Andrea Stolpe   Composer
Clint Lagerberg   Composer
Jimmy Chapin   Photo Assistance
Ben Hancock   Photo Assistance
Madalyn Hankins   Photo Coordination
Mary McCashin   Photo Assistance
Mari Thomas   Photo Assistance