Joey + Rory photo credit: Bryan Allen

By Bob Doerschuk

© CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc.

From its acoustic textures to the deep emotion of its solo and harmonized vocals, The Life of a Song, recorded by the husband and wife team of Rory Feek and Joey Martin, produced by Carl Jackson and released on Vanguard/Sugar Hill Records, is rooted in the music of an earlier Country artistry.

This is evident in the seven songs that they wrote together for The Life of a Song. Even when flaunting a feistier side on the first single, “Cheater Cheater,” which they penned with Kristy Osmunson and Wynn Varble, the fire of Martin’s singing rises as much from indignation over a violation of virtues such as faithfulness and trust as from her character’s betrayal.

That’s not to say that Joey + Rory don’t speak to contemporary listeners. In fact, they leapt into the limelight as contestants on CMT’s “Can You Duet” series and then signed on as spokespersons for the online discount retail site Overstock.com.

Still, their story, like their sound, reflects a fidelity to traditional values. They still live in an 1870s farmhouse outside of Nashville, where Joey and her sister-in-law run their restaurant, Marcy Jo’s Mealhouse. No matter where their careers take them, odds are they’ll keep the oven warm and the porch light lit back home.

Q&A with Joey + Rory
(answers provided collectively by Joey + Rory)

SONG YOU WISH YOU’D WRITTEN
“‘The Life of a Song,’ written by Jason Matthews and Rebecca Lynn Howard.”

CD IN YOUR STEREO
“Bradley Walker’s Highway of Dreams.”

BOOK ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND
“Starting Your Marriage Right, by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. We’ve been married six years and have read it a few times. We think we’re still on our honeymoon.”

FAVORITE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION
“Trucks and Prevost buses – we don’t have one yet, but we’re hoping.”

MUSICAL HEROES
“John and June Carter Cash. We want to live, dream and love like they did, right up to the end.”

On the Web: www.joeyandrory.com

ShareThis