Riley Green‘s That’s Just Me album is out. The record includes several collaborations, including one with Alabama‘s Randy Owen, and one with Brooks & Dunn. For Green, adding them to his records is not just something he does for fun. Rather, he feels a responsibility to honor those who paved the way for him to have the incredible career he has now.
“I feel like my job with the spotlight that I’ve got now, and being blessed with the opportunities I’ve got, is to do a couple of things,” Green tells MusicRow. “One of them is to help out people that are where I was, and that I’m a fan of, and bring them into some of these opportunities. And then also shed a little bit of light on the inspiration that I got from guys like Brooks & Dunn and Randy Owen, and keep showing the younger generation the music that inspired me to write and record and perform.”
What Riley Green Says About Getting Brooks & Dunn and Randy Owen on ‘That’s Just Me’
When Green sent Owen “Lookout Mountain,” he had no idea that the country music legend would want to be part of the song with him. “Lookout Mountain” was written by Erik Dylan, Randy Montana, and Drake White.
“I sent Randy ‘Lookout Mountain’ not thinking he would be a part of the song. I just wanted him to hear it, and he texted me and said, ‘Do you need a partner on that one?’,” Green recalls.
“Pave All Them Red Dirt Roads” was written by Riley Green and Dallas Davidson. The song is a nod to Brooks & Dunn’s 2003 “Red Dirt Roads” hit, which is why he reached out to the award-winning duo.
“I texted Ronnie Dunn ‘Pave All Them Red Dirt Roads’ and he said, ‘I can sing it on Monday,'” Green remembers. “So I was surprised at how easily all that stuff came together. It doesn’t always work out that way.”
In a separate interview, Green shares why he reached out to Brooks & Dunn about “Pave All Them Red Dirt Roads,” never thinking the duo would sing on it with him.
“You can’t just call Brooks & Dunn and get them on your album, and it’s certainly not something I would have thought would be possible,” Green tells Country Living. “But when I wrote that song, I had the title for a long time. I didn’t want to take anything away from that song. But I wanted to be a tribute to Brooks & Dunn and what that song meant to me. So when I wrote it up, I left the space in case they liked it.”
What Riley Green Says About His ‘That’s Just Me’ Album
That’s Just Me is Green’s fourth studio album, coming two years after his Don’t Mind If I Do record. Green poured a lot of himself into That’s Just Me.
“I think stylistically it’s got a lot of different types of songs on it. I think that was something that was so great about the album, Don’t Mind If I Do,” Green tells Audacy. “It had a lot of different moods. And I always tend to write sad country songs, and people don’t want to cry all day long. So I have some beer up in the air, drinking songs like ‘Think As You Drunk I Am,’ and I’ve got some beach songs. There’s a lot of different types of moments on here.”
That’s Just Me also includes Toby Keith on Green’s current single, “Think As You Drunk I Am.” He also has a duet with Hannah McFarland on “Go Again.”
All Of the Songs on Riley Green’s ‘That’s Just Me’ Album
1. My Way
2. That’s Just Me
3. Don’t Come Any Closer
4. Go Again (ft. Hannah McFarland)
5. Imagine That
6. Got That From You
7. Bartender In Destin
8. Beach Happy
9. Think As You Drunk
10. Well Well Whiskey (ft. Jake Worthington)
11. P.O.S.
12. Runs In The Family
13. Pave All Them Red Dirt Roads (ft. Brooks & Dunn)
14. Lookout Mountain (ft. Randy Owen)
15. Seven Second Ride
16. Radio Road
17. Ol’ Stray Dog
18. More Of A Man Than Me
19. Ten Pairs Of Boots