ETC co-wrote three songs, two of them with producer Randy Scruggs. Cake makes a complete mess of “Reincarnation” (the only decent cover I’ve had was by Jim Nabors as Gomer Pyle, USMC) and I didn’t like Toad The Wet Sprocket’s take on the old George Jones hit “Nothing Can Stop My Loving You” (also decently covered in the 1970s by Patsy Sledd). Barack Obama has just defeated John McCain to win his first of two-terms as our 44th President. My favorite song on Mint Condition is the album’s emotional centerpiece, “Wait On The Wine,” a soaring ballad where Spence uses the titular beverage to gain enough courage to tell her man how much she loves him. He didn’t say it, but he was referring to the idea that as a group of writers we’re each sharing the country music we love individually, writing pieces that reflect our love of the genre, not just getting assigned albums and singles we may or may not care enough about to compose a thoughtful post. ‘Tennessee Wedding’ is a new song which Rodney wrote for his daughter’s wedding, from the point of view of his new son in law. People who have heard Roger’s concert in Birchmere, VA, about a year before he died can attest that Roger Miller barely even needed a guitar in order to keep and audience entertained. Back then I often didn’t get around to playing the B side of a 45 until later, but Dad had the Branded Man album that Haggard had issued the year before and every song on it was really good, so I flipped over the single to find one of the truly great country songs in “Today I Started Loving You Again”. The album Trio, for which Harris collaborated with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt, was released in 1987. He may also have been a bit too eclectic. "This Is Us" was released as the first single, followed by "Beachcombing". In doing so, he made a comment I’ve never forgotten. This is one of ETC’s best albums and it is definitely worth checking out. ‘Carol’ is a tender, thoughtful ballad about a man who regrets having left his wife years ago: If I could turn back time to yesterday It is a decent mid-tempo song with an optimistic message about taking a chance in love, but it is not very interesting musically. Shortly thereafter he sent me an email and asked me to join the team, an honor I accepted happily and excitedly. Must not be drinking enough, You’re not drinking enough to wash away old memories Jim Lauderdale was already a successful songwriter when he secured his first album deal with Reprise Records, a subsidiary of Warner Brothers. A soulful vocal is backed up with steel guitar as ETC offers advice to a lovelorn friend, or perhaps himself: You keep telling yourself she means nothing The upbeat ‘I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried’ was the first of the three, followed by the tongue-in-cheek Guy Clark co-write ‘She’s Crazy For Leavin’’. I have been the whole world over and sailed a thousand seas ‘No Chance, No Dance’, written with Robert Byrne, is a brassy uptempo tune about not playing things safe. You must not be drinking enough. On September 25, 1965, The Statler Brothers released a Tom T. Hall song as the B side of their debut single for Columbia. ‘Anything But Tame’ comes from his 2012 collaboration with poet Mary Karr, is similar but a little more stripped down, but it is a song I admire rather than love. In fact after the first two singles, the market had already turned away from the McCarters. Lauderdale’s main problem as an artist was that his vocals were not strong enough. ETC’s version is more restrained, but the accordion-led production lends it a happy Cajun feel which works pretty well. I should note that this is NOT a bluegrass album, although I would not be surprised to hear the songs on bluegrass radio. ‘Where The Sidewalk Ends’ was another Strait pick, and was also recorded by Jann Browne. Her sixth studio album, Blue Kentucky Girl, was released in 1979. ‘I Wasn’t Fooling Around’ is much more on the mark, and it is a shame it didn’t get airplay. It was Harris's highest-selling album, attaining platinum status in the United States and contained four Top 10 singles, including the number-one "To Know Him Is to Love Him".