by Matthew Martin
Jonny Fritz has had a pretty interesting career thus far; already changing his name just a few years in. The name switched from Jonny "Corndawg" to Jonny Fritz around a year ago or so, in an attempt to not be pigeonholed as an exclusively comedic singer/songwriter. But, not to fear, folks! Fritz is still writing clever, catchy country songs about mundane life experiences.
The first thing you will likely notice on Fritz's new album, Dad Country, is the very talented backing band. This band includes Fritz's trusty side kicks- Spencer Cullum, Jr. and Joshua Hedley- as well as members from Dawes. Also, interestingly enough, the album was recorded at Jackson Browne's studio.
The album is full of songs about weirdos, truck stop darlings, and everyday screw-ups. We all know the characters in Fritz's album. We know that couple who fights over the most trivial issues ("Trash Day"). We know, or have been, that person who is sick and far from home ("Fever Dreams"). It's this uncanny ability of Fritz's to just take these otherwise troubled or annoying characters and make them a bit more tolerable.
One of the things that has always drawn me to Jonny Fritz's music is the classic country flair he brings to his witty songs. Similar to the great songsmiths Porter Wagoner and Tom T. Hall, Fritz is not laughing at the characters in his songs. He's merely giving you their side of the story. Maybe it's just so inconceivable that it comes off as humorous. Or, maybe it's so uncomfortable ("Ain't It Your Birthday"), that we have to laugh in order to break the tension.
I think this is probably Fritz's strongest album to date with only one song really not grabbing me in- "Suck in Your Gut." The collection of songs with strange characters and talented musicians backing them up create an extremely fun listening experience. Go check out the album here and then go buy it here.
Fritz has also released his first video for the album:
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