Fans of Craig Morgan will find his latest project ‘God, Family, Country,’ released Friday, very familiar. It contains his 2019 hit ‘The Father, My Son, And The Holy Ghost,’ a cover of Gavin DeGraw’s 2011 song ‘Soldier,’ and five remastered songs from Morgan’s discography that were all released between 2000 and 2006. Along with those are 3 previously unreleased songs.
This album didn’t shy away from packing an emotional punch, especially when it started off with the tearjerker ‘The Father, My Son, And The Holy Ghost,’ written about Morgan’s late son Jerry, who died in a tubing accident in July 2016. I don’t think it’s possible to not shed at least one tear while listening to that song, no matter how many times you’ve heard it. I also believe that one of the remastered songs Morgan chose, ‘Lotta Man (In That Little Boy),’ was included as a tribute to Jerry to close out the album.
Regarding the five remastered songs, it sounds like the vocals of the original versions were kept the same and the production was updated. The contrast of these songs that were recorded between 15 and 20 years ago with the songs that were recorded recently is striking in terms of Morgan’s vocal performances. I firmly believe that Craig Morgan is one of the most underrated male vocalists in country music, and he has only gotten better with age.
Of the three new songs, the most refreshing was ‘Sippin’ On The Simple Life.’ It feels like authentic Craig Morgan. The song also has a very nice balance of feeling like it would fit nicely in a throwback live set, but also feels very fresh at the same time. It added some much needed levity to an album that is otherwise very emotional.
To listen to ‘God, Family, Country’ click here.
