Dec 30, 2020

Album Spotlight: JJ Roberson "Cowboy's Prayer"

JJ Roberson Cowboy's Prayer Album — CLICK TO LISTEN

Interview with JJ Roberson

Tell me more about yourself JJ

I got my first guitar when I was 17 and I had to beg my dad for it but ever since I got it you couldn’t get it away from me. I’ve always been fascinated by music. I didn’t start songwriting until I was a junior in college. My group of friends loved going to concerts, playing guitars, and singing almost every night. One day while we were sitting around a bonfire passing around the guitar my buddy told me I had the voice to pursue a career and that I should try my hand in songwriting and it all started there. I had always wanted to have a career in country music so pursuing this is a dream come true. My music is true to its roots country but still has the flavor and catchiness of modern country music. My sound is unique because I listen to all genres of music and try to incorporate certain aspects of different genres into what I do.

What's the backstory behind the album?

This album is a small compilation of some of my life stories. All of these songs are from experiences that I have lived and decided to tell a story about.

Where did you write the album?

Each song was written at different times and seasons of my life. I started writing "Shadows" in my bedroom while playing around with melodies. "Roots" was written by me and a couple of buddies after I had come home from hanging out with a girl I had just met. "Ain't She Pretty" was written just for fun honestly, a good friend and I were just sitting around drinking some beer playing the guitar and that song happened. And the final song, the title track, "Cowboy's Prayer" was written at different phases of life, that song took about a year to write. it's definitely one of my most meaningful tracks because I lived every word of it.

What are your favorite songs on the album?

I have two favorite songs. The first one is "Shadows". This song is more of a promise to my wife. When we first met I was just a poor cowboy chasing a music career with nothing to show for it but a pocket full of songs that nobody had heard. But she stuck around anyway, and we have been through some really trying times and she never left my side. This song is a promise that one day I was going to be able to give her the life she deserved and just a little preview of what that life would be like.

My other favorite is "Cowboy's Prayer". When I started writing this song I was laying rebar on the highway for 11/hr. I was struggling to keep the lights on, food on the table, and a roof over our heads. This song came out of despair. Life has a way of testing you to your very core. I was going through the fire and the only thing I knew to do was to take it to the only one who is truly in control, Jesus. This song is a prayer but it's also a summary of what some of my prayers were sounding like for the past three years.

What else would you like to say about the album?

I'm really proud of how this album turned out. I'm very thankful for my producer, Alek Hand, for putting in very long hours during the whole process and I want to thank my band, Scooter McDonald (Lead Guitar), Devin North (Bass Guitar), Jamey Strauss (Fiddle), Tony Garosinno (Steel Guitar), and Greg Clifford (Drums). The songs wouldn't sound the way it does without what each of them brought to the table.

Are you working on any new music?