The centerpiece of country singer Jimmy Wayne's latest CD is its lead single and title track, a banjo- and fiddle-flecked cover of the 1975 Hall & Oates hit "Sara Smile." Though modeled on the original, even to the point of bringing the duo in to sing on the track, Wayne's remake proves him not to be a blue-eyed soul wannabe but a serious country-soul crooner in the Conway Twitty mold. It's a wonder, in fact, that the late Country Music Hall of Famer didn't get around to recording this one first.
Wayne isn't the seducer that Twitty was, but he's definitely singing to country's core female demographic here. Replete with wide-eyed avowals as to how lucky he is, several songs find the North Carolina native mooning over some idealized woman. More convincing is "Counting the Days," a soul-searching ballad in which Wayne, driving a solitary stretch of highway at night, agonizes over a breakup he hopes is merely a hiatus. Even better is "Elephant Ears," a banjo-leavened tearjerker about a foster kid who bounces from home to home as she clings to a stuffed pachyderm. As maudlin as the story line sounds, the song, buttressed by an appropriately empathetic arrangement, more than earns its uplift.
Made with the three different producers, Wayne's album is mostly high-end Nashville product, a well-paced program of sturdy ballads and mid-tempo numbers juiced by the occasional country-rocker. The lyrics tend toward the generic, but Wayne's rich, resonant baritone is worth hearing, as his sure-handed take of the title track attests.
- Bill Friskics-Warren, The Washington Post
An album of emotionally layered songs about love sustained and sometimes lost, "Sara Smile" should establish Jimmy Wayne as Nashville's most sensitive male vocalist — both in his well-chosen material and in his elegant, soulful delivery.
The album also should further the most significant comeback in country music in recent years. The North Carolina native earned his first No.1 hit with the title song of his 2008 album, "Do You Believe Me Now." It came four years after Wayne's only Top 10 hit, but his new album, "Sara Smile," proves he's making the best of his new chance.
As a testament to his star potential, Wayne links up with three of Nashville's hottest producers — a common strategy in pop music, but unusual in Nashville, where artists almost always work with one producer per project. Collaborating with Mark Bright (Carrie Underwood), Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift) and Dann Huff (Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban), Wayne achieves a consistent quality through "Sara Smile," yet also manages to make it blend more seamlessly than might be expected.
Highlights are many: Wayne's vocal showcase on the title song, a cover of the Hall & Oates classic; the effervescent Keith Urban co-write, "Things I Believe," about the spiritual power of devoted love; and Wayne's solo-written "I'll Never Leave You," about how flashes of frustration need not derail a good relationship.
CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: "Just Knowing You Love Me" celebrates how a faithful relationship can bring a bounce to your step — and the strength to stride past life's bumps.
- Michael McCall, The Associated Press
Good ol' Jimmy Wayne. He is giving us two very solid reasons to love Mondays, at least for today. One, his new album, Sara Smile, is out today. And two, he's doing a live video chat and sing (I just made that name up) at 7 p.m. CT to showcase some of the new music. You can catch it on his MySpace, Facebook and Twitter pages, or through Ustream. There will be a live feed to watch, and you can submit questions via the chat room. Or if you prefer to do things the Twitter way, you can ask questions there, too. It will last at least 90 minutes, so plan to be in front of your computer for a while. And he'll have his full band for the acoustic performance part of the show (which will happen after all the chatting). But here's what I will be paying special attention to:
* When Wayne talks about his affinity for Hall & Oates. Everyone has a band that inspired them, and this is it for Wayne. Signing "Sara Smile" back in 2002 got him his record deal, so I'm sure he feels like that pop classic propelled him to where he is now.
* The new song, "Things I Believe." One listen and you'll think it's a Keith Urban song, ripe with banjo and lyrics about long slow kisses. It actually IS a Keith Urban song. He wrote it, but Wayne snapped it up and makes it his own with a voice that's full of joy and soul.
* Wayne's self-taught and insanely talented utilitarian player, Jake Clayton. He plays 25 different instruments, so if they do "Things I Believe" tonight, you'll likely see him go crazy on the banjo. And if they do another great new one, "Just Knowing You Love Me," Clayton will probably be playing his fiddle hard.
- Alison Bonaguro, CMT
Jimmy, whom Billboard recently lauded as “easily the most soulful of today’s young country crooners,” worked with three of the most sought-after producers in Nashville to craft his new album, SARA SMILE: Dann Huff (Keith Urban, Faith Hill), Mark Bright (Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire) and Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift).
Jimmy’s remake of the Daryl Hall & John Oates pop classic is the centerpiece of an album that showcases his depth and range as a vocalist as well as a songwriter.
SARA SMILE travels full circle exploring 360 degrees of Jimmy’s artistry, talent and personality. His soulful singing permeates every note of such soaring, romantic ballads as “All the Time in the World,” “Belongs to You” and “Counting the Days” while up-tempo rockers “There’s a Memory” and “Things I Believe” showcase the raw energy experienced at the country star’s dynamic live shows.
The release of SARA SMILE tops off what has been an extraordinary year for Jimmy Wayne. “Do You Believe Me Now” soared to the top of the country charts, landing at #1 for three weeksand becoming one of the biggest hits of 2008-2009. In June he joined the American Saturday Night Tour alongside Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley, which included a stop at Madison Square Garden last month.
- GAC
With the current economy, it’s hard to pick out which CDs to buy on a limited budget. Most people can’t afford to buy as many as they could a couple years ago. So, which CDs are worth it in this current economy? Jimmy Wayne’s Sara Smile is.
Jimmy Wayne’s (“Do You Believe Me Now”) newest country album Sara Smile officially comes out on November 23rd, but Amazon has already shipped their first batch to anxious country music fans across the country.
The album includes his current hit, “Sara Smile.” It’s a remake of the Hall and Oates’ 1976 original. Hall and Oates do back-ups on Jimmy’s version. The song is catchy and cute and is constantly stuck in my head. I love the melody … I love Jimmy’s voice. I was considering changing my name to Sara after hearing this song. (I was originally supposed to be named Sara after the original version of this song, but my parents later changed my name to Madeleine.) There’s something special about this song that I can’t really place, but I just love it.
I like all of the songs on the album. I am also particularly fond of “All The Time In The World,” “There’s A Memory,” “Counting The Days,” “Just Look At You” and “Belongs To You.” I like so many of the new songs that it’s hard to pick a favorite!
“All The Time In The World” is a very nice song. It’s sets a nice tone for the rest of the album. Jimmy Wayne’s voice is kind of hypnotizing in a way. It really makes you want to stop what you are doing and listen to him. I really like the lyrics “I won’t forget you girl/even if I had all the time in the world.”
“There’s A Memory” is faster. I really like the melody of this one. It’s a nice one to wake up to, I think. I’ve always liked Jimmy Wayne’s faster tunes. In his last CD (also worth buying) Do You Believe Me Now, he had “Kerosene Kid” which was absolutely great.
“Counting The Days” was probably the first one to stick out to me, besides “Sara Smile,” which I heard countless times before I bought the CD. The thing that really strikes me about this song is the chorus. Something about it really grabs me; it's very powerful.
“Belongs To You” has excellent vocals. Granted, I think every Jimmy Wayne song has excellent vocals, but I think this one does especially. Nobody’s denying that he has talent. The guy can really sing.
“Just Look At You” is very romantic and will just make any girl melt. The melody is nice and soft, coupled with Jimmy’s voice and the lyrics are just perfect. I’ve never been the one to fall for those love songs, but “Just Look At You” really does it for me.
Jimmy Wayne is also worth seeing live, if you get the chance. I saw him in Irvine, CA in October with Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley. He seemed to be having fun performing and that made him really fun to watch. He’s very entertaining. He did “Sara Smile,” which was absolutely amazing live. It was the first time I heard it too.
There are 10 songs in total. All are very likeable. I wish there were a couple more just because I like Jimmy Wayne so much, but I will wait to the next album. I say this every time I think about him, Jimmy Wayne always delivers. He delivers a lot of excellent songs and the album is definitely proves that.
It’s pretty early to consider stocking stuffers and I probably wouldn’t wait that long to get my hands on a copy of Sara Smile, but this would be a nice stocking stuffer too. Jimmy Wayne’s voice is just beautiful. Perfect for a long stressful drive to relax you or to listen to right before bed. Any time is the right time to listen to this new CD.
- Maddy Pumilla, BlogCritics
Wayne isn't the seducer that Twitty was, but he's definitely singing to country's core female demographic here. Replete with wide-eyed avowals as to how lucky he is, several songs find the North Carolina native mooning over some idealized woman. More convincing is "Counting the Days," a soul-searching ballad in which Wayne, driving a solitary stretch of highway at night, agonizes over a breakup he hopes is merely a hiatus. Even better is "Elephant Ears," a banjo-leavened tearjerker about a foster kid who bounces from home to home as she clings to a stuffed pachyderm. As maudlin as the story line sounds, the song, buttressed by an appropriately empathetic arrangement, more than earns its uplift.
Made with the three different producers, Wayne's album is mostly high-end Nashville product, a well-paced program of sturdy ballads and mid-tempo numbers juiced by the occasional country-rocker. The lyrics tend toward the generic, but Wayne's rich, resonant baritone is worth hearing, as his sure-handed take of the title track attests.
- Bill Friskics-Warren, The Washington Post
An album of emotionally layered songs about love sustained and sometimes lost, "Sara Smile" should establish Jimmy Wayne as Nashville's most sensitive male vocalist — both in his well-chosen material and in his elegant, soulful delivery.
The album also should further the most significant comeback in country music in recent years. The North Carolina native earned his first No.1 hit with the title song of his 2008 album, "Do You Believe Me Now." It came four years after Wayne's only Top 10 hit, but his new album, "Sara Smile," proves he's making the best of his new chance.
As a testament to his star potential, Wayne links up with three of Nashville's hottest producers — a common strategy in pop music, but unusual in Nashville, where artists almost always work with one producer per project. Collaborating with Mark Bright (Carrie Underwood), Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift) and Dann Huff (Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban), Wayne achieves a consistent quality through "Sara Smile," yet also manages to make it blend more seamlessly than might be expected.
Highlights are many: Wayne's vocal showcase on the title song, a cover of the Hall & Oates classic; the effervescent Keith Urban co-write, "Things I Believe," about the spiritual power of devoted love; and Wayne's solo-written "I'll Never Leave You," about how flashes of frustration need not derail a good relationship.
CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: "Just Knowing You Love Me" celebrates how a faithful relationship can bring a bounce to your step — and the strength to stride past life's bumps.
- Michael McCall, The Associated Press
Good ol' Jimmy Wayne. He is giving us two very solid reasons to love Mondays, at least for today. One, his new album, Sara Smile, is out today. And two, he's doing a live video chat and sing (I just made that name up) at 7 p.m. CT to showcase some of the new music. You can catch it on his MySpace, Facebook and Twitter pages, or through Ustream. There will be a live feed to watch, and you can submit questions via the chat room. Or if you prefer to do things the Twitter way, you can ask questions there, too. It will last at least 90 minutes, so plan to be in front of your computer for a while. And he'll have his full band for the acoustic performance part of the show (which will happen after all the chatting). But here's what I will be paying special attention to:
* When Wayne talks about his affinity for Hall & Oates. Everyone has a band that inspired them, and this is it for Wayne. Signing "Sara Smile" back in 2002 got him his record deal, so I'm sure he feels like that pop classic propelled him to where he is now.
* The new song, "Things I Believe." One listen and you'll think it's a Keith Urban song, ripe with banjo and lyrics about long slow kisses. It actually IS a Keith Urban song. He wrote it, but Wayne snapped it up and makes it his own with a voice that's full of joy and soul.
* Wayne's self-taught and insanely talented utilitarian player, Jake Clayton. He plays 25 different instruments, so if they do "Things I Believe" tonight, you'll likely see him go crazy on the banjo. And if they do another great new one, "Just Knowing You Love Me," Clayton will probably be playing his fiddle hard.
- Alison Bonaguro, CMT
Jimmy, whom Billboard recently lauded as “easily the most soulful of today’s young country crooners,” worked with three of the most sought-after producers in Nashville to craft his new album, SARA SMILE: Dann Huff (Keith Urban, Faith Hill), Mark Bright (Rascal Flatts, Reba McEntire) and Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift).
Jimmy’s remake of the Daryl Hall & John Oates pop classic is the centerpiece of an album that showcases his depth and range as a vocalist as well as a songwriter.
SARA SMILE travels full circle exploring 360 degrees of Jimmy’s artistry, talent and personality. His soulful singing permeates every note of such soaring, romantic ballads as “All the Time in the World,” “Belongs to You” and “Counting the Days” while up-tempo rockers “There’s a Memory” and “Things I Believe” showcase the raw energy experienced at the country star’s dynamic live shows.
The release of SARA SMILE tops off what has been an extraordinary year for Jimmy Wayne. “Do You Believe Me Now” soared to the top of the country charts, landing at #1 for three weeksand becoming one of the biggest hits of 2008-2009. In June he joined the American Saturday Night Tour alongside Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley, which included a stop at Madison Square Garden last month.
- GAC
With the current economy, it’s hard to pick out which CDs to buy on a limited budget. Most people can’t afford to buy as many as they could a couple years ago. So, which CDs are worth it in this current economy? Jimmy Wayne’s Sara Smile is.
Jimmy Wayne’s (“Do You Believe Me Now”) newest country album Sara Smile officially comes out on November 23rd, but Amazon has already shipped their first batch to anxious country music fans across the country.
The album includes his current hit, “Sara Smile.” It’s a remake of the Hall and Oates’ 1976 original. Hall and Oates do back-ups on Jimmy’s version. The song is catchy and cute and is constantly stuck in my head. I love the melody … I love Jimmy’s voice. I was considering changing my name to Sara after hearing this song. (I was originally supposed to be named Sara after the original version of this song, but my parents later changed my name to Madeleine.) There’s something special about this song that I can’t really place, but I just love it.
I like all of the songs on the album. I am also particularly fond of “All The Time In The World,” “There’s A Memory,” “Counting The Days,” “Just Look At You” and “Belongs To You.” I like so many of the new songs that it’s hard to pick a favorite!
“All The Time In The World” is a very nice song. It’s sets a nice tone for the rest of the album. Jimmy Wayne’s voice is kind of hypnotizing in a way. It really makes you want to stop what you are doing and listen to him. I really like the lyrics “I won’t forget you girl/even if I had all the time in the world.”
“There’s A Memory” is faster. I really like the melody of this one. It’s a nice one to wake up to, I think. I’ve always liked Jimmy Wayne’s faster tunes. In his last CD (also worth buying) Do You Believe Me Now, he had “Kerosene Kid” which was absolutely great.
“Counting The Days” was probably the first one to stick out to me, besides “Sara Smile,” which I heard countless times before I bought the CD. The thing that really strikes me about this song is the chorus. Something about it really grabs me; it's very powerful.
“Belongs To You” has excellent vocals. Granted, I think every Jimmy Wayne song has excellent vocals, but I think this one does especially. Nobody’s denying that he has talent. The guy can really sing.
“Just Look At You” is very romantic and will just make any girl melt. The melody is nice and soft, coupled with Jimmy’s voice and the lyrics are just perfect. I’ve never been the one to fall for those love songs, but “Just Look At You” really does it for me.
Jimmy Wayne is also worth seeing live, if you get the chance. I saw him in Irvine, CA in October with Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley. He seemed to be having fun performing and that made him really fun to watch. He’s very entertaining. He did “Sara Smile,” which was absolutely amazing live. It was the first time I heard it too.
There are 10 songs in total. All are very likeable. I wish there were a couple more just because I like Jimmy Wayne so much, but I will wait to the next album. I say this every time I think about him, Jimmy Wayne always delivers. He delivers a lot of excellent songs and the album is definitely proves that.
It’s pretty early to consider stocking stuffers and I probably wouldn’t wait that long to get my hands on a copy of Sara Smile, but this would be a nice stocking stuffer too. Jimmy Wayne’s voice is just beautiful. Perfect for a long stressful drive to relax you or to listen to right before bed. Any time is the right time to listen to this new CD.
- Maddy Pumilla, BlogCritics
