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Jimmie Allen Releases Gold Edition of Collaboration Album: ‘Bettie James’

Jimmie Allen adds nine collaborations to his already successful project, Bettie James on the new Gold Edition. Available now, June 25th, on all streaming platforms, take a look below as we dig a little deeper into the new music.

The original seven-track project was an incredible collaborative piece on its own including duets with Nelly, Mickey Guyton, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker and Charley Pride, Tauren Wells, Rita Wilson and The Oakridge Boys, and Noah Cyrus. Now, Allen adds 9 more tracks to the collection including collaborations with LOCASH, LANCO, Pitbull, Breland and Lathan Warlick, Monica and Little Big Town, Neon Union, Lindsay Ell, and Babyface.

Not only has Allen established several relationships with artists across the genre and the industry, but this collective work alone has demonstrated his musical range across genres and his infectious personality based on his credibility and relationships with some of the best in the industry. Allen adds his own unique style in each song that meshes differently based on the other artist’s sound, making this project a unique mix of one-of-a-kind sounds.

Allen’s songs with LOCASH and LANCO, “Get Country” and “Home Sweet Hometown”, respectively are lyrically classic country songs but form into each group’s own distinctive sound in country music. They’re about getting back to your roots and what you know and going back to and never forgetting your hometown.

“Home Sweet Hometown // where you keep your first sins // your amens // your kinfolks // your old friends // Home Sweet Hometown // everybody’s got one // or forgot one // aor maybe they’re still calling one // yeah we all try to leave this place and chase some big dreams down // but the world could leave a bitter taste without // Home Sweet Hometown”

Allen’s song with Keith Urban, “Boy Gets A Truck”, is a cover of a deep cut from Urban’s Ripcord album. The two artists duet on the song bringing new life to an already incredible song. It’s a love story told through a hand-me-down truck. 

“A boy gets a truck, truck gets a girl, girl gets a midnight feeling he’s the one // one night turns to love, love turns into one knee down, down payment on a three-bedroom house // filled with the sound of little feet, then you blink and he’s asking for the keys to pick her up”

“Somebody” with Breland, already a trailblazer in country music, and Lathan Warlick is a cross-genre song with notes of trap and pop. Allen then slows things down in “Pray” with Monica and Little Big Town and broadcasts his vocals in ways that have been less common for him thus far in past works. 

No two songs of this project sound the same or follow the same path yet Allen is able to combine them all into this incomparable project and form them to his own sound. As if the original album didn’t get us excited enough for future Allen music, his Gold Edition speaks for itself in his ability to make a name for himself and carve his own space in country music.

Jimmie Allen's 'Bettie James Gold Edition' is out now, June 25th

Jimmie Allen’s ‘Bettie James Gold Edition’ is out now, June 25th

Fans can join our Weekly Round-Up e-newsletter here, for the latest in country music and more news about upcoming Jimmie Allen announcements and releases.

To keep up with Jimmie Allen, follow him on InstagramTwitter, and Facebook.

Bettie James Gold Edition is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released tunes on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

Jimmie Allen Releases Noteworthy Collaboration Project ‘Bettie James’

Jimmie Allen, Bettie James

With the exception of a few remixes and covers, fans of Jimmie Allen have not been given new music since his 2018 debut album Mercury Lane. Still, the “Best Shot” singer has maintained his spot in country music and has developed a devoted community through social media. With his growing fanbase, Bettie James is here to reintroduce Allen in a way that could not have been more anticipated, in the very best way: with a collaborative project.

With six, out of seven, unreleased tracks with entertainers such as Nelly, Tim McGraw, Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, and more, Bettie James works as a mesh of creatively diverse tracks. There are feel-good, powerhouse songs, estranged love ballads, inspirational messages laid over music, and reflective lyrics that contemplate tragedy and, in another production, potential growth.

Bettie James was undoubtedly worth the wait, not only for Allen’s listeners but for country music as a whole. It showcases a grown, matured, and versatile artist who is capable of honesty and vulnerability as well as performing those country music classics that get people moving and grooving. Not only does it provide Allen with a chance to redefine himself in a multifaceted, cross-genre way, but the well-known contributors are able to play with their preferred style of music, too. For instance, “Made for These” practically demands Tim McGraw’s involvement since it walks the same line as McGraw’s 2004 hit, “Live Like You Were Dying”. Additionally, “Freedom Was A Highway” aligns with Brad Paisley’s high-esteemed inclinations to incorporate a dense, electric riff.

Further exploring a mix of genre-bending music from top to bottom, the album kicks off with the infectious and fan-favorite “Good Times Roll” featuring Nelly and ends with the final and seventh track, “This Is Us” featuring Noah Cyrus. Fans got a bit of an early taste for each of these two tracks. While the latter was released on its own in February, Allen also began including a sneak peek of “Good Times Roll” in his live show as early as December 2019. Check out the video below for a clip of the live performance.

Although, Bettie James in its entirety is a true gift, there are two notable pieces, and it would be a great disservice if “Drunk & I Miss You” and “Why Things Happen” were not specifically given the words, and the space, to officially discuss and acclaim. The former is with Mickey Guyton and the melody practically sends the listener into a dizzying mental state, as if a camera is rotating 360° around an object to cause chaos and confusion. It only adds to the anguish and desperation of the song, though the mixed feelings of honesty battled with alcohol-induced longing creates a conflicted, muddled mental state that allows the track to be what it is. And, it’s great.

“Why Things Happen”, with Charley Pride and Darius Rucker, takes on a more serious route with the lyrics searching for answers as to, well, why things happen as they do. It’s political, without having to get political. And, it’s an emotional, thought-provoking production that tugs at the heart-strings. With Rucker’s natural tremble in his voice and Pride’s established, rough yet muted tone intertwining with each other and echoing Allen, a full-blast exploratory creation is born that leaves us wanting more.

Bettie James is an epiphanic, significant and well-built project from Allen that takes you on a whirlwind of emotions in seven tracks, leaving you dazed and confused, in the very best way.

To keep up with Jimmie Allen, follow him on InstagramTwitter, and Facebook.

Bettie James is now available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more recently released music here on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

 

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