The Bottom Line
Too many times in the music business, especially Nashville business, an artist will sacrifice art for commerce. Thankfully, by taking control of her recordings, Chely Wright finally makes a complete album of songs her way. And while not drastically different from previous albums, "The Metropolitan Hotel" is her most consistently pleasing album. It's a winner.
Pros
- "The River"
- "Bumper Of My SUV"
- "Just The Way We Do It"
Cons
- How much room is there on country radio airwaves for another independent artist?
Description
- 8 of 12 tracks written or co-written by Chely.
- Produced by Chely, Jeff Huskins & Stephony Smith.
- Released by Painted Red Music Group and DualTone Records.
Guide Review - Chely Wright – The Metropolitan Hotel
What a struggle it's been for Chely Wright to get her 6th album released to the public. After leaving MCA Nashville when her previous album failed to ignite much of an interest, Chely found a home with Vivaton Records in 2004. However, before the first single "Back Of The Bottom Drawer" could reach it's chart peak, (most likely Top 10-15) Chely and the label parted ways, citing creative differences. From there Chely self-released an intimate EP, and a personal song called "Bumper Of My S.U.V." The single unexpectedly rose to the Top 40 at country radio without much in the way of promotional support. With that, Chely signed with Dualtone for the release of The Metropolitan Hotel.
The album opens up with the Katrina Elam penned "It's the Song" and what a great song it is. It tells the exact reasons why a singer becomes a star and why fans show up to see them. "Back Of The Bottom Drawer" finally sees the light of day on a full album (it was on the EP) while "The River" and "Between A Mother And A Child" are intimate personal songs taken directly from Chely's personal life (as is "Bumper"). "Just The Way We Do It" has the sound of a big hit.
The Metropolitan Hotel is the album Chely's always wanted to make and what a cool album it is. While she could've found another major label to hitch her wagon to, she knew to record the kind of songs she wanted to record (hers) she'd need to do it on her own.
