Jeff Bates

在過(guò)去，鄉(xiāng)村歌手多半來(lái)自貧困的家庭，而鄉(xiāng)村歌曲也往往都以實(shí)際生活中的困頓、與因而帶來(lái)的啟發(fā)為素材。自從商業(yè)文化興起後，鄉(xiāng)村歌壇已經(jīng)大大走樣。有人說(shuō)，Jeff Bates 的出現(xiàn)，將帶領(lǐng)鄉(xiāng)村音樂(lè)回歸昔日的特色。來(lái)自密西西比的 Bates，嬰孩時(shí)期就被生母拋棄，由一對(duì)佃農(nóng)夫妻收養(yǎng)。他從小展現(xiàn)音樂(lè)天賦，在電視上看到貓王後，更決心要成為歌手。1993 年，他組成自己的樂(lè)隊(duì)，四處巡回、同時(shí)作曲，甚至得到納許維爾音樂(lè)界的賞識(shí)，但由於聽(tīng)信妻子的建議，他返鄉(xiāng)發(fā)展，結(jié)果卻沈淪下來(lái)，還因?yàn)槿旧隙景a，到處偷竊樂(lè)器換取毒品而入獄。出獄之後，在好友的鼓勵(lì)下，他力圖振作，先是 Tracy Lawrence 唱紅了他的「What a Memory」，接著更得到 RCA 的合約，在 2003 年推出首張個(gè)人專輯『Rainbow Man』，打進(jìn)鄉(xiāng)村專輯排行前二十名，甚至奪下「潛力榜」的冠軍，獲得很高的評(píng)價(jià)。不堪的過(guò)去，使他學(xué)會(huì)了謙卑，保持低調(diào)，直到 2006 年才發(fā)表第二張專輯『Leave the Light on』。 這回，他繼續(xù)以渾厚的男中音，感性而又質(zhì)樸的唱出生命中各種層面的感受，而且更接近傳統(tǒng)的鄉(xiāng)村風(fēng)味。來(lái)自上一張專輯的「Long Slow Kiss」經(jīng)過(guò)重新剪輯，連說(shuō)帶唱的表現(xiàn)出一個(gè)男人應(yīng)該重視妻子真正的盼望。標(biāo)題歌「Leave the Light on」浪漫的唱出一個(gè)男人迫不及待的想要回家與愛(ài)妻溫存，「Good People」愉快的指出，在玩世不恭的表面下，很多人的本性其實(shí)是很善良的。「The Woman He Walked On」帶有 George Jones 那種傷感的小酒館情歌特質(zhì)，令人感動(dòng)?！窻ub It In」翻唱自 Billy Crash Craddock 的 70 年代暢銷經(jīng)典，有著耳目一新的表現(xiàn)，「I Can’t Write That」是一個(gè)創(chuàng)作歌手的感嘆，他無(wú)法寫下妻子離去的故事，只能透過(guò)歌聲來(lái)表達(dá)，而「Mama Was a Lot Like Jesus」更再度唱出了對(duì)母愛(ài)的歌頌。
Jeff Bates was only 17 when he entered a honky tonk in his hometown of Bunker Hill, MS. He wasn't there for the smoking, drinking, or rabble-rousing; he was there to audition, hoping to land a show or two. The audience went wild for his voice -- a mix of Barry White, Elvis Presley, and Otis Redding -- and before he knew it, Bates was offered a six-nights-a-week gig. All signs pointed to Nashville, but before he would get there, Bates had to battle a crippling methamphetamine addiction that eventually landed him in jail. He experienced a spiritual awakening while locked up and emerged from jail not only clean and sober, but also driven and ambitious in a way he never was before. Moving to Nashville and doubling his work ethic, Bates caught the ear of the RCA label and landed a record deal in 2002. The label issued his debut, Rainbow Man, in 2003 and his sophomore effort, Good People, in 2005. He kicked off the promotional campaign for his 2006 release, Leave the Light On, by performing the album's single, "One Second Chance," live at the Grand Old Opry.