Similar to Thompson Square, the husband and wife pairing that make up new country music duo, Pierce Avenue, were at one point chasing their dreams of being solo artists. However, after Jaime and Tony met each other after performing at Cowboys Dancehall in Arlington, TX, they realized that together they could combine their talent and creativity to make a great country music duo. Pierce Avenue recently sent New England Country Music a copy of their self-titled EP which was released on October 21st. Through this EP, Pierce Avenue wants people to know that they are real people and not everything is a party. Jaime tells us, “We go through ups and downs, rough times as well as good times. We’re two people that grew up on country music. We love it! We don’t know anything else. We just want fans to enjoy the music. We’re here to sing and entertain and want fans to join in the fun!”
1.) ‘I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried’ – Written by Pierce Avenue, Marcum Stewart, and James Breedwell.
Impression: The duo begins their EP with a song full of twang and a traditional country sound. The song is features some great steel guitar which really give the song the traditional country sound and shows their roots in country music. The song is a good ole love song about a couple that’s been together and although the sparks aren’t what they were when they first got together, they still love each other and will stay together. If you like a good honky tonk of a song, you have to check out ‘I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried.’
Favorite Lyric: Well I can’t afford a lawyer, and neither can I. So I guess we’re stuck together. I couldn’t leave you if I tried…
2.) ‘Shut Up And Love Me’ – Written by Pierce Avenue, Jason Sever, and Rachel Thibodeau.
Impression: Jaime really shows off her vocal talents in this track as she is really highlighted in the song. While Tony does come into the song at a later point, Jaime seems to have the more vocal part of the track. The song details a couple in a spat that has them maybe not saying nice things to each other and they just want each other to shut up and love them and work together to make it right. It’s a good love song for the duo and it’s relatable so fans should enjoy the song.
Favorite Lyric: Don’t say nothing else. Let’s put our pride on the shelf. Can’t fix this thing by myself…
3.) ‘It Just Takes A Kiss’ – Written by Pierce Avenue and Michael Elsner.
Impression: Like a signature on a contract, ‘It Just Takes A Kiss’ for a relationship and love to begin. That’s the theme of this fun and cute song.
Favorite Lyric: It just takes a kiss, we know what this is. Ain’t no way we’ll wind up broken hearted. Because love’s already started…
4.) ‘I Won’t’ – Written by Pierce Avenue and Helene Cronin.
Impression: I believe that this song demonstrates Jaime and Tony’s vocal abilities the best of any song on the EP. Each of them has their own part of the song but then their voices come together for a really nice harmony. The song is all about being vulnerable in the beginning and letting the other person in and giving them the chance which leads to a great relationship and not giving up when times get rough. It’s a good song about the fight and celebration of a relationship that you believe in.
Favorite Lyric: I won’t run, I won’t hide, I won’t be the leaving kind…
5.) ‘Take It To The House’ – Written by Pierce Avenue.
Impression: ‘Take It To The House’ is the one song on the EP that Pierce Avenue wrote by themselves. So this song is 100% Jaime and Tony. This song reminds me of what would happen if New Orleans met with Nashville. This fun song definitely has a lot of twang but it also features a bit of a blues sound especially in the intro. In the song, there’s a couple that just finds each other irresistible and has fun with it. Considering Jaime and Tony wrote this song by themselves, it’s probably fair to assume they wrote it about each other!
Favorite Lyric: I wanna hold you in my arms, in my arms. I wanna lay by your side, by your side. I wanna kiss your pretty mouth, pretty mouth. Ooh, I wanna take it to the house…
All in all, it’s a good EP by the up-and-coming duo, Pierce Avenue. Listening to the songs, you can tell that their relationship has an influence on their music and I really like how they at least co-wrote every song on the EP. It shows that they are more than just recording artists but also very good songwriters. If they can continue to produce music like this, their fan base will naturally grow alongside their music and join in the fun just as Pierce Avenue hopes that they do.
You can follow Pierce Avenue on Twitter, Facebook, and their official website. And you can purchase their EP on iTunes here.