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(Dominic Pandiscia, Chief Strategy Officer at Primary Wave, and Coyle Girelli.
Photo credit: Sarah Nekich)
Out of This Town was produced by Girelli, and it honors the original duets’ intent with standout pairings, featuring KT Tunstall, Jaime Wyatt, and Cassandra Lewis. Out of This Town offers an intimate look at Girelli’s artistry while honoring Davis’ legacy, and it couldn’t come out on a more fitting label than Sun Records, the iconic label once home to Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and more.
“Beyond the music was the human connection,” the British-born, New York-based artist said. “I knew Mac as a music legend, but what I found working closely with him at his home was one of the most kind, creative, and generous souls I’ve ever met. Collaborating with him was beautiful and real.”
While Out of This Town features several songs from Davis’ personal backlog, more than half of the songs were co-written by Davis and Girelli. The album’s stark and spellbinding sound spotlights Girelli’s soulful vocals, which share tales of shattered hearts, lost souls, and eternally restless dreamers. Notably, the album also features two versions of the song “I Wanna Make Love” — one which was produced from a phone recording Davis made and sent to Girelli and is one of the last original recordings by the legendary artist.
On paper, Girelli and Davis could not be more different. Girelli is an English indie-rock musician best known as the frontman for the bands Your Vegas and The Chevin. In addition, Girelli has composed for BTS, Robin Schultz, Westlife, and co-written the record-breaking French musicals, Robin des Bois and Les Trois Mousquetaires. Davis is a Lubbock, Texas-born musician best known for penning Elvis Presley hits such as “In the Ghetto” and “A Little Less Conversation.” Davis also had a successful solo career with songs like “Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me,” and he hosted The Mac Davis Show, acted in films, and was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The pair started working with a literal bag full of Davis’ handwritten lyrics on yellow legal pads. The musicians sat together with their guitars, and the songs flowed. Davis even equated Girelli’s powerful voice to Roy Orbison, and declared him the only one fit to sing these songs the way they should be sung.
The album represents a meeting of two artists from different generations who became deeply connected by their outstanding songwriting gifts and love of a voice that penetrates the heart and soul. The unique combination of original tracks co-written by Girelli and Davis and never-recorded work from Davis’ bag of songs envelopes the listener in a deeply moving journey that has a timeless spirit.
On the lead single, “Pretty,” Girelli presents a hypnotic outpouring of unrequited longing, achieving a cinematic grandeur solely through his pained yet soaring vocals and elegantly layered guitar work. |
