Neal McCoy

Hot on the heels of his top-5 single, “The Shake,” the top-5 success of his GREATEST HITS CD and TNN/Music City News’ Video Of The Year award, Neal McCoy is giving listeners even more to love. With his latest Atlantic Records release, BE GOOD AT IT, Neal explores a deeper, broader musical range than ever before. At the same time, he remains the same accessible, real-deal entertainer fans have come to count on.

“There’s a big difference between expanding what you do and taking off in a completely different direction,” Neal explains. “A whole lot of my success has been built on feel-good kinds of songs, and that makes perfect sense, because that’s the kind of guy I am. I’ll never stop doing songs like ‘Wink,’ or ‘The Shake.’ They make people want to get up and move or clap or sing along, and that’s a big reason why I do what I do. But we got to dig really deep with this album, to show some sides that have always been there but that we haven’t focused on all that much. In my live shows, I’ve always tried to make people smile some, think some, maybe even cry a little, but overall have a real good time. And I feel like we got all those things on this album. If I had to go out and do a show with just these songs, I’d be perfectly happy with that.”

BE GOOD AT IT builds on one of country music’s most solid and lasting foundations. Neal’s career began in small venues around his home in Longview, Texas, after which he spent some six years touring with country legend Charlie Pride. Even before establishing himself as a recording artist, he was considered a pretty tough act to follow; Neal’s live shows are widely known for their energy and spontaneity. His fan base has grown steadily with the release of each album and its hit singles, and today Neal enjoys one of the most loyal and enthusiastic followings in all of country music. If that rise to stardom was more gradual than some, Neal has no complaints: “I’ve always been glad for everything that came my way, no matter how big or small it was.” Although Neal has never felt fully accepted by the Nashville music industry, he believes that some of his recent achievements have opened people’s eyes. “When ‘Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye’ won the Video Of The Year award, I think a lot of people were happy for me-the other artists, the executives, everybody. You could tell they really meant it. I think they know that I’m in this for the long haul, that I care about the music and that I want to contribute. And as far as the people who come out to see us, they know they’re going to get everything we’ve got every night. We built that trust one night at a time over a period of years.”

BE GOOD AT IT marks the first collection of all-new material from Neal’s collaboration with producer Kyle Lehning. (Lehning also produced the smash single, “The Shake,” the featured track from Neal’s GREATEST HITS CD.) The partnership, Neal says, opened a number of creative doors. “Kyle’s production is so fresh-it really brought a lot of things out of me, and ’21 to 17′ is a good example. It never repeats itself, never relies on formula-the title isn’t even mentioned until the last line. It just holds you there so you can’t wait to hear the rest of the story. I can see myself sitting on a stool and singing this one live, which is something I’ve never done. Kyle’s a tough song man, and the results are well worth it.”

“Party On,” despite the mood its title implies, is a strong country ballad which allows Neal to apply his interpretive skills. He shows his Lone Star roots on “Basic Good Bye,” a straight-ahead Texas shuffle. (“If you can’t dance to this one,” says Neal, “you just can’t dance!”) Lehning has also helped Neal find a harder edge than previous albums would suggest; the rocking “Broken Record” brings the energy of his live shows to CD, perhaps for the first time, and “If You Can’t Be Good, Be Good At It” proves this newfound penchant for kicking it up a notch in the studio is no fluke. “Like I said,” Neal reminds, “we got into some new territory on this record, but we didn’t just close the door on what’s got us here. You listen to ‘Love Happens,’ and you know it’s a Neal McCoy song, straight down the pike. I couldn’t feel better about this mix of songs. I’m very satisfied.”

Neal’s dauntingly busy tour schedule doesn’t leave much down time, but the dedicated family man makes the most of his rare days off. Time at home in Longview is a cherished reward, devoted to his family and the charity he helped found, the East Texas Angel Network, which raises money for the families of children with serious illnesses. He also makes time for hanging out with a few good friends, like NBA superstar Karl Malone, with whom Neal shares a common work ethic: “One thing Karl and I have in common is that we both give it everything we’ve got, every time. You owe it to the fans, to the people you work with, and you owe it to yourself.” And as Neal McCoy builds on his solid reputation as an artist who delivers, one thing is certain; whatever new challenge he takes on, he’ll BE GOOD AT IT.