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BUY THE CD
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Long-time southern rock fans surely know of Billy Crain, one of the lead guitarists in The Outlaws. That barn-burning guitar playing that has endeared Billy to Outlaws fans can be heard on his new solo CD, Skeletons in the Closest.
For those who need a quick musical history lesson, here it is. When Henry Paul of The Outlaws formed his own band in the late 1970s, he recruited Billy as one of the lead guitarists. After a four-year stint with the band, he toured with the Bellamy Brothers, and then he settled in Nashville as a songwriter. Billy contributed songs to artists such as Shania Twain, Martina McBride, and Poco, to name a few. With the untimely death of Outlaws mainstay Hughie Thomasson in 2007 and Henry Paul’s return to that band, Billy once again was recruited to join Henry, now as an Outlaw.
This solo effort by Billy, Skeletons in the Closet, is one of 2010’s gems. “B.C.” as he is known, plays all of the instruments on the CD, and he wrote or co-wrote all of the songs. In fact, as the back of the CD jacket states, “Billy Crain did everything but mix on this record.”
For those who have seen Billy play at live Outlaws shows since 2008, his smoking guitar licks are evident throughout the CD. However, it is his songwriting that makes this one that you cannot stop listening to. Based on an interview I did with Billy, the opening track, “Rise Up,” is about his need to rise out of the ashes of the mud and mire that he felt trapped in while working as a songwriter in Nashville.
One of my favorite tracks is “Hard Times at Ridgemont High.” When the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High came out, times were a bit more fun. Billy reminds us that, nowadays, “This ain’t the movies, this is reality” and that a college degree is no guarantee of employment. In many areas, the high school fun of football games and varsity jackets has gone by the wayside to gangs and drive-by shootings. Another poignant song, “Daisy Chain,” is about child abuse and what we need to do to stop it.
A careful listening to the CD will ultimately bring the listener to the focal point: God. Billy wrote on the CD jacket, “Special Thanks Go to the Glory of God.” But this is not a Christian rock album. This is a rock ‘n’ roll album by a man of great faith. The track “White Picket Fence,” the title track, “Skeletons in the Closet,” and the final track, “Running With the Rebels,” all refer to man’s frailty—in fact, Billy’s own frailties. However, it’s also a reminder that if one chooses to live one’s life right, there is a path to follow. We are all humans who have made mistakes in our lives. Learning how to avoid these mistakes and what brings fulfillment in one’s life and the lives of others is what Billy is singing about.
This CD has made me look inward at myself. It undoubtedly will do the same for you. The message comes across loud and clear. So does the rock ‘n’ roll factor, which makes this a thoroughly enjoyable listen…a must listen.
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