5 Pulses
Country music fans looking for songs about a good dog dying, losing a spouse, drunken barroom brawls or bull riding won’t find their fix listening to Tim Culpepper’s newly released debut dubbed Never Look Back.
Instead, the La Vergne-based singer-songwriter shines throughout the release and presents a variety of country music styles. Culpepper aptly demonstrates a great way with words and their phrasings, but also he’s more than polished when it comes to crafting his original sound.
Recorded at Legends Recording Studio in Nashville and co-produced by Culpepper and Mark Johnson (bassist for Aaron Tippin), the dozen-track release leads off with “Looking For a Break in the Fence,” an upbeat song about a young girl, newly 18 and ready to break free from her country life and pursue all the adventure her dreams can hold. The 38-year-old Culpepper goes on to deliver a stirring ballad laced with solid bass and piano solos titled “Civil War” and penned by Bobby Tomberlin and Wesley Dennis. The song tells of a couple that has run out of things to say and are living their own civil war.
With influences such as Gene Watson, Merle Haggard, the late Keith Whitley and Elvis, the consummate country crooner Culpepper illustrates his diverse musical talents on each and every song. Other standout tracks on the indie disc include “It Ain’t the Club, It’s the Swing,” a track crafted by Kevin Deney, Tim Owens and co-producer Johnson that shows off the Western-swing chops of his entire band. The song will send fans of artists such as Asleep at the Wheel or the late Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys over the moon. With a just-right mix of drum, piano, steel guitar, bass and fiddle, this number demonstrates how tasty Texas swing truly is when it’s “done up” right.
On “Seeing You With Me,” another listening highlight of the CD, Culpepper teamed with his wife, Jeanette, to write a ballad wherein they put their love to music. The pair seems to have effortlessly accomplished a beautiful song about what their love means to them that will undoubtedly resonate with other in-love couples.
Meanwhile, the words in the inspired “Soldier in a War” serve to comfort those dealing with the separation when loved ones in the military are stationed abroad. As a retired Navy man himself, Culpepper infuses the lyrics with heartfelt emotions drawn from his personal experiences.
From start to finish, Never Look Back is an especially solid debut that will endear listeners to Culpepper’s smooth vocals and winning way with words.
For more information, visit myspace.com/timculpepper.
