moment of truth
Amid a digital world focused on perfection, as autotune and electronic instruments run rampant within studios, it can be a difficult endeavor to find authenticity amongst music in this day and age. The era of albums crafted as true listening experiences has gone by the wayside, yet the Red Clay Strays have artfully brought it back in style with their debut LP, Moment of Truth. To fully appreciate this masterpiece, one must drop the needle at the very beginning and listen till the record stops spinning while lending attention to every note crooned and chord played as the songs soak deep into the soul. Recorded in a studio in the hills of Huntsville, Alabama, the album was tracked in an old-school manner, completely in analog as their heroes did in days gone by. As they banded together in one room cutting every song live, the Strays captured the chemistry from their live performances whilst ushering in a new era of sound that aptly describes who they are and where they’ve been. When asked how the album name was conceived, the Strays summed it up best: “It’s the Moment of Truth because it’s our first album we’re ever releasing. It’s the Moment of Truth because it’s actually us that got to create this, nobody else. No outside interference.” Sonically, the record is a melting pot of a myriad of genres set in the heyday of the southern music the band grew up influenced by and is lyrically driven by honest life experiences as it cycles through the highs and lows of living and loving, comprised of songs with a deep moral fiber to them. With each track displaying the Red Clay Strays’ innate penchant for storytelling, Moment of Truth has a song for everyone, for every emotion.
“Stones Throw” begins the record on a strong note, setting the tone for what’s to come as its funky, soulful style melodically details the difficulties of a life spent being gone on the road while trying to keep it all between the lines. The title track, “Moment of Truth,” is a pensive ballad where a man evaluates the motives behind the choices he makes in the process of his own personal judgment day. Perhaps in efforts to find the answers, “Moment of Truth” transitions beautifully into one of the more upbeat numbers on the record, a 60s infused ditty entitled “Do Me Wrong,” finding a man in the midst of a toxic relationship longing to be set free as a doo wop groove plays. Also on the concept of romantic love, “Wondering Why” makes its mark as the sole love song and is an ode to the good women loving and supporting men who aren’t quite sure of their reasons. Moving on from songs of love to ones of loss, “Forgive” features ethereal vocals as lead singer Brandon Coleman croons about life after heartbreak. “Heavy Heart” follows the same path, highlighting Brandon’s vocal range as he bemoans the heaviness of that heartbreak weighing on the mind. The next track, “Ghosts,” picks up the pace into a rockin’ number about not being able to escape the haunting of past mistakes that are always a stones throw away from the memory. Expertly extending the concept of ghosts, “She’s No Good” is a piano heavy bop about a woman who is prone to hiding her true intentions, not revealing her true spirit. “Don’t Care” comes next, riding the waves of emotion back into a tune of sorrow as the euphonic vocals highlight the tender mood of being plagued by someone’s memory, desperate to get away no matter the cost. On a much different emotional plane, “Killers” queues up next. Sonically, it’s one of the standouts on the record with its sound effects and stirring music amplifying the storyline of the lifelong tragedies of war as it follows a young soldier in the jungle to living as an older man on the streets. Following such a soul-aching song, “Sunshine” is a thoughtful tune about finding the faith to keep it all together for the ones who love us despite the missteps we’ve made. Rounding out the record with that quintessential Red Clay Strays sound, “Doin’ Time” brings the album to a close with its bona fide rock-and-roll melody and subject matter—being thrown in the penitentiary for poor choices with a lot of time to think about all the feelings felt and examined in the precious eleven tracks. Overall, the record is as sonically diverse as the men who form the band, yet it maintains the rare sincerity and artistic integrity the band possesses as a whole. Moment of Truth will not only be a milestone in the Red Clay Strays career, but it will also be a turning point in the history of music—and for good reason.
MOMENT OF TRUTH LYRICS
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Don’t Care
Killers
Sunshine
Doin’ Time
Jeff Ellis
Paige Everett
Mary Felger
Jennifer Ferguson
Tina Fleming
Suzanne Foster
Lisa Foster
Brandie Franks
Wendy Freiberger
David French
Diaz Frost
Janice Fuchshuber
Leslie Garrett
Cameron Gill
Mark Griesemer
Becky Griffith
Jane Hall
Robin Hamilton
Bekah Hardick
Merideth Hardwick
James Harmon
Fawnn Harnage
Ashley Harris
David Harris
Cheryl Harris
Caroline Harvey
Gary Harvey
Rose Ann Haven
Carol Haynes
David Heath
Ricky Heckel
Scott Heinzel
Adam Helms
Shannon Hill
Joe Hobensack
Abbigayle Hodge
Jilly Hollingshead
Brian Holmes
Larry Holmes
Jolene Horihan
Mel Lolley
Nicole Lovvorn
Jennifer Lyons
Al Mahan
Megan Mamula
Rossie Manning
Christina Marble
David Markwell
Thomas Martin
Zachary Mattingly
Dawna McAuliff
Jim McCarthy
Rhonda McClain
Barbie McClelland-Nease
Sharon Mccullough
Charlotte McDonald
Billy McDonald
Libby McDowell
Bertice McPherson
Autumn Meierle
Sheri Meierle
Autumn Meierle
Barbara Merritt
Hayden Miller
Rick Miller
Christopher(shaggy) Miller
James Mitchell
Bobby Moody
Gregory Morrison
Patti Moseley
Jennifer Mumford
Thomas Nelson
Allie Nelson
Melissa Nelson
Michelle Neuschwander
Dede Nevin
Kagan Nichols
DeAnne Papizan
Alex Parker
Kathy Pasha
Pete Pasha
Charlie & Gina Passmore
Sandra Patton
John A. Pehler
Tony Perfetti
Kelly Perry
Roger Pettis
Daniel Phillips
Jason Pittack
Richard Pitts
Michelle Potts
Colleen Prokop
Colleen Prokop
Henning Rader
Bobby Rains
Eric Ramsey
Erin Reed
Dawn Reetz
Amber Reid
Austin Reppart
Barbara Reppart
Sherry Rice
Thomas Rich
Pat Richey
Dana Rickman
Jodie Roden
Drayton Rodgers
Pandessa Rogers
Karen Rone
Frieda Rose
Pam Ross
Pam Ross
Heather & Tynes Rothstein-Stringfellow
Donny Rouse
Randolph Ruff
Abby Ruff
Kelby Rumfolo
Karla Rush
Tammy Ryals
Kristy Rylander
Moment of Truth
Stone’s Throw
Do Me Wrong
Wondering Why
She’s No Good
Forgive
Heavy Heart
Ghosts
BACKERS
A-L
Terry Sallee
Ella Salter
Gerald Salzarulo
Rose Sandford
Eric Saucier
Bethany Schmitz
Wally Schneider
Jeffrey Scott
Noel Seale
Stephanie Senger
Rickey Shannon
Jonathan Shepard
Patrica Shissler
Tommy Sherwood
Emilee Shuler
Jason Simas
Ginger Simon
Sabrina Simpson
Joe Sims
Kellie Skipper
Cameron Smith
Megan Smith
Andrea Smith
Michael Smith
Kathy Snyder
Chris Sorg
LaPrell Sprayberry
Terri Stafford
John Stephenson
John Stephenson
Susan Stevens
Bennie Stevens
Susan St John
Jason Stoddard
Joshua Stone
Kellie Stotsky
Dena Stratton
Terrie Streed
Victor Streed
Heather & Tynes Stringfellow
Maria Batten
Keri Bernardo
Justin Birdwell
Cathy Bitinas
Stephanie Blackburn
Mark Bloomfield
Tom Bolan
Van Bolding
Michael Boone
Callie Boren
Kevin Boyd
Milissa Boykin
JW & Sandra Bradford
Bruce Brandon
Charlotte Brandon
Allison Brendle
Shannon Brown
Amber Brown
Monty Bryant
Mary Buck
Maureen Aaron
William Aaron
Stephanie Aldridge
Penny Alexander
Sonya Allen
Polly Andrews
Jenny Andrews
Ony Anglade
Smitty Armour
Dotty Armour
Skeete Armstrong
Beautiful Aunt Chelle
Steven Bailey
Amy Baker
Dana Baker
Ryan Balthrop
Lydia Barber
Carla Bass
Rick Bastyr
Frederic Bates
Stirling Cricket
Kyle Crippen
Michele Crismon
Jeanie Crotts
Janice Curtis
Malinda Daugherty
Morgan Davis
Barb Dawson
Sarah DeBuff
LeeAnn DeClerck
Matt DeGaeta
Tony Dewitt
Myah Dodich
Amanda Donald
Sharon Donnelly
Donna Dring
Barbette Driver
Mary Duncan
Rick Duncan
Viki Dunn
Sherry Burford
Bobby Buttery
David Byrd
Craig Campbell
Alicia Canfield
Kesslie Carbo
Debbie Carroll
Hank Carter
Jeremy Chappell
Jessica Cobb
Kammie Cody
Mary Coheley
Sharon Collins
Kathy Cope
Amber Cotney
Ashley Cotney
Brandi Cough
Wendy Countryman
Heather Craig
Stacey Craig
Paul Kelly
Brandon Kelly
Jones Kevin
Diana King
Bobby Kirchner
Erik Kirkpatrick
Ann Knoderer
Justin Kohrs
Derrick Kraus
Paul Krawczyk
Jennifer Kuykendall
Alisha Lambert
Lori LaPorte
MacKinsey Lassiter
Smith Laurie
Ben Leininger
Ron Lenard
Lisa Creppel Lewis
Dr. Tom Leytham
Jamie Lloyd
Scott Horne
Seth Housley
Aleta Huckins
Ann Huddleston
Devin Hudson
Sheri Huebner
Robin Huff
Tripp Hughes
Jason Iles
Donald Jackson
Jeff Jaworski
Deb Johns
John Johnson
Dustin Johnson
Michael Johnson
Mark Johnston
Kevin Jones
Ben Jones
Kale Kelley
Sherri Kelly
L-Z
Mary Beth Wasden
Pam Watkins
Nancy Weaver
Rose Mary Wells
Mike Welsh
Josh Wenzel
Cara Wesmorlan
Mary Beth White
Brian White
Morgan Whitfield
Bob Whiting
Rob Whitsett
Saylor Wiley
Amy Wilkins
Jamie Willis
Marcie Willis
Steve Willoughby
Corey Wilson
Grant Woodall
Patti Woods
Ryan Woods
Christopher Yoder
Chad Zaputil
Matthew Swartz
Carolann Thacker
Lee Thomas
David Thomas
Dan Tillery
Mark Titshaw
Lanny & Melanie Todd
Russell Tomkins
Megan Toole
Manning Travis
John Troyer
Clarise Trudel
Regina Valpredo
Robert van Alphen
Craig Vaughn
Rachel Vealey
Deborah Wamser
Pat Ward
Robert H Warner JR
Paula Warner