Drew Year’s Eve with Drew Baldridge with special guest Carter Winter

Drew Baldridge

Punchy horn section stabs … a popping bass beat … James Brown guitar jangles … a slamming backbeat …
It’s all there on the opening track from Drew Baldridge’s Dirt On Us — and yes, it is country music, as country as it comes.
From the soul-band sizzle of “Train” to the reverent rendition of the old hymn “It Is Well,” Baldridge’s debut album comes straight from his heart to yours. It also targets your feet on uptempo tracks such as “Everyday Light,” “Curious Girl” and “Dance With Ya,” the single that rocketed him into the spotlight. It turns down the lights and steams up the windows with “Love On Your Body,” “Burnt Toast” and “Rebound,” with a guest vocal by Emily Weisband that uses just one note to cast its seductive spell. And it evokes simpler times through vivid lyrical imagery on “Tractors Don’t Roll,” “Town That Time Forgot” and the title cut.
What makes it all country? Simple: Ever since he heard his first Alabama track at age 5 back in Patoka, Illinois, this rangy young man’s roots have drawn from the sound and feeling of authentic, old-school country. So has his life, from working on his family farm to bonfire parties with friends on Saturday night and savoring family dinners after church every Sunday.
But there’s more than roots in this picture. Look skyward and you’ll see where Baldridge reached as well toward Michael Jackson, Earth, Wind & Fire, raw backwoods blues and any other music that captured the trials and joys of real life.
All of that feeds into Dirt On Us, the product not just of his influences and upbringing but also of a long scuffle to claim his place in country music.

with special guest Carter Winter

Fitting every bit the part of the man in black, Carter Winter is country music’s modern traditionalist. Singing heartfelt and relatable songs landscaping heartbreak and the American dream poured over ice, the singer/songwriter from rural Ohio has seen firsthand the effects of connecting with an audience through a fresh sound that like Carter himself, is surprisingly familiar, yet raw and honest. From behind his guitar and sleeves of tattoos, Carter began playing local bars around his hometown and quickly grew an incredible fan base of loyal listeners from California to the Carolinas.
First well-known for his cover songs of artists that inspired him early on (Garth Brooks, George Strait), Carter’s ability to take three chords and his own truth and deliver a compelling live performance has contributed to the incredible success of Some Kind of Fire, his first independent six-song release. With his rich, traditional country vocal and compelling live performance, Carter has gained recognition from some of the biggest names in country music and shared the stage with artists such as Sam Hunt, Chase Rice and Travis Tritt. Recently completing his second studio album with multi Grammy Award-winning producer Chad Carlson (Taylor Swift, Chase Rice, Cole Swindell) and producer Mark Bright (Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts), Carter Winter’s sophomore release The Whiskey In Me makes a solid entry into country music that firmly establishes his bad boy brand as a natural force in country music.