Graham Trude – “6’ In The Ground” / “Home Crowd” Feat. Simone Denny

Music Reviews
Jer@SBS
December 4, 2021
0

Graham Trude – “6’ In The Ground” / “Home Crowd” Feat. Simone Denny – Singles Review

Well heck! Whaddya know…Graham is practically next door to us here at this very moment in time! Alright…to be fair, Toronto is still a heck of a drive from where we’re based in Ottawa, but from what it looks like online, Trude’s over in the T-dot with Simone Denny and gettin’ ready to rock the Saturday Night Revival Event on stage tonight. If you tuned into the latest episode of the SBS Podcast, where we played Graham’s collaborative cut with Simone called “Home Crowd” for ya, then you know full-well to expect a big show over there in T-O tonight…for our Canadian-based friend here is indeed, playing to the “Home Crowd” of his own. You factor in the blazing fireworks you see onscreen in the new video he’s got supporting that shiny single of his…I mean…I’m just sayin’ – buckle up folks, because you never know what Graham might have in-store for ya tonight, but I can guarantee ya the man will bring 100% to it all.

Because that’s what he does, full-stop. Always has, and I suspect he always will too based on all I’ve read about the man. According to his bio online, Graham used to be in the military & had a career in law enforcement (thank-you for you service sir!) before the effects of PTSD came to claim him in 2019, leading to what he described as “the lowest point in his life.” Like a great many of you out there that have turned towards music as a way out of the darkness, Trude found his salvation by writing songs.

And the rest is history…he went on to conquer the charts and crush the scene, good game, the end. Thanks for reading folks!

Okay. Maybe there’s more to it than that…in fact I’m positive there’s a lot more to a story like Graham’s than anything I could sum up in a short music-review here when I’m supposed to be talking about the, you know, music he’s making. The point is – Graham Trude DID find his way out of the darkness and back into the light, and from everything you’ll hear in these two tracks from his new album, also called Home Crowd, you’ll recognize that he’s come out so much stronger on the other side of it all. That’s the thing about doing things folks…we do so many of’em! We can spend what feels like a lifetime doing what we even think we’re meant to be doing, just like I’d assume Graham was beforehand, and not even realize we might actually be cut out for something even more suited to who we really are. Because I’ll tell ya dear readers, dear friends…I listened to “Home Crowd” for the first time myself, and the instant impression I had was that THIS is a man that is meant to be making music. Sometimes the path we’re on leading to our destiny can be one crooked-ass line…ain’t no doubt about that…the lesson here, is to keep on going forward, somehow, some way – and when life throws you a curveball, see if you can’t knock it right outta the part like Graham has, rather than accept the confusion it’s all intended to create. I find stories like this guy has inspiring to begin with, I ain’t gonna lie to ya – but it becomes an even more uplifting tale when you have the talent & ability to reach these new aspirations, which Trude has clearly proven he’s got in his DNA. You hear his confidence roar to life in the BIG hooks of a song like “Home Crowd” and its massive anthem/game-time potential…the man ain’t messin’ around with this second shot at a brand-new career doing what he was destined to do all along, and his performance on that one song alone would have been more than enough to convince me that music is what this man is all about. Well…that and sports, obviously…but you get what I’m sayin’ – it’s the commitment and steady confidence you’ll find in every moment of “Home Crowd” that makes you appreciate Graham’s whole story even more…this guy has no doubt seen some things in his time, and lived through’em on repeat in his mind…he has been through a LOT to be where he is today as an artist, husband, father, and all-around human-being. Full salute of respect to this man right here – Graham is all aces in my books.

Right! There’s a music portion to this review, I swear. If you did tune into the most recent episode of the SBS Podcast, congrats – you’ve just earned your own gold star as one of my favorite people out there walking this earth – if you haven’t yet…no worries…still plenty of time to get yourself on Santa’s nice list this year – click here to go to the show, hear “Home Crowd” and more of my thoughts on Trude.

Given that I focused almost completely on “Home Crowd” during the show, I’ll sum up a bit of what I had to say here in this written review and then tell ya what I found really exciting about the other track I checked out, called “6’ In The Ground” right after. Suffice it to say, the man’s got himself a serious hit with “Home Crowd” that’s designed to get the energy flowin’ and get the home team winnin’ as they should be. As I mentioned on our show, it’s an unpretentious slice of Country/Rock that is very BIG, very FLASHY – but also very REAL and sincere in its intentions, theme, and perspective – Graham Trude is a man that means what he says, and you feel that through the strength he brings to his performance on this single. Think of it this way – if Graham’s cheerin’ you on, you’ve got serious support in your corner; and like I was sayin’ on the podcast, a song like “Home Crowd” is basically built for your primetime entertainment…it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to hear this song boomin’ outta the loud speakers at stadiums, or during sports events on TV. Heck, I’d go as far as to say that, for as genuine of a sports fan as I’m sure he truly is, let’s be real here – I’d imagine the intentions & purpose behind writing a song like this really do include the biggest dreams of all, which is that a track like “Home Crowd” could become part of the whole lexicon & permanent part of the sports realm. At the very least, it’s guaranteed to make the fans happy out there…sports fans and music fans that is…it’s got that huge stadium feel to it, and when you factor in the fiery visuals of the video and sensationally soulful vocals of Simone Denny backing him up…you gotta recognize the fact that Graham’s put himself in a serious position for a giant W here with “Home Crowd” through a song that really could take him all the way to the end-zone. To me, this single plays with the focus you wanna hear; I might not be the world’s biggest Country-anything fan and I readily admit that up front, but I am a very big fan of passionate artists & bands that give everything they got to what they create – and I felt like you couldn’t ask for anything more than what you find in this collaboration right here. Simone’s got such a spectacular voice that she’s bound to draw in half the planet to listen to anything featuring her amazing vocals I’m sure – but equally true, is just how well-suited she is for a song exactly like this that is able to use the incredible dynamics & bold tone she possesses. It’s probably fair to say that there would be a rare few out there that could keep up to the energy she’s capable of supplying a microphone with…but you gotta give it up for two different styles that complement each other as well as these two do – everything fits, everything moves with the bright-light excitement it’s supposed to beam out, and it really is the unity between Simone & Graham that ultimately makes this moment as real to us as it should be. Think of it like this – it’d be crazy to write a song about cheering for a team, then being a team, and not giving us something to cheer for, right? You follow me? These two ARE a team together and perform on a unified front – “Home Crowd” exemplifies what a great collaboration is all about by how both these talented artists share the spotlight.

So…here’s where I’m at. To me…as wall-to-wall solid as a song like “Home Crowd” is when it comes to universal accessibility & single-worthy sound is concerned – I’d probably go down swingin’ that this other tune I’ve got here from Graham’s brand-new album hits an even bigger homerun for the depth of his songwriting. The best way I can put it, is that I kind of expect to hear a track like “Home Crowd” come along my way every so often as a reviewer that ends up exploring all genres…it’s essentially what real Country/Rock is all about; I’d be crazier to expect NOT to find something like that song out there in the scene somewhere. “6’ In The Ground” to me, is the kind of song I don’t really expect to find coming my way every day…but if we’re talking about how to make a memorable impression on a listener like myself, this is the perfect track to have sent on over as an additional sample from Graham’s new record. You get two real distinctly different vibes through these two slices from Home Crowd – and while that might throw a few people out there for a loop with the distance between two tracks like these, that same versatility in Graham’s music and the courage to go after all kinds of unique ideas is the right way to go about this whole songwriting thing if you ask me. It’s rewarding as an artist…and it also gives you the opportunity to explore all kinds of potential in what you can create – “6’ In The Ground” has a title that implies how it’s gonna sound…you know this ain’t gonna be the happiest tune you’ll hear in 2021. That being said, the contrast runs overdrive throughout the slow-burning tension that runs throughout this second cut in review here…and perception is everything – our ears might tell ya that there’s a dusty & desolate energy in this vibe, but if you’re listening to the words, you’ll realize this is a tributary track dedicated to you two-wheelin’ heroes out there, and that Graham is every bit proud of the fact that this culture is part of who he is, and the pack he rides with. Essentially, while you’d assume a song like “6’ In The Ground” might be devastating, its resilient spirit and stoic confidence is more powerful than ever – and once again, full props to Graham for getting a stellar performance outta himself to make it come out sounding as intense, precise, passionate, and professional as it does. We ALL might be missing Simone on this second sample of Home Crowd if we listen to its title-track first – but that’s only natural – I think I’ll be missing Simone’s voice on just about every track I’ll ever listen to from here on in without her on it if I’m bein’ real with ya. Having said that though, I think Graham puts in an award-worthy performance on his own from the writing to the performance on “6’ In The Ground” that he should be mighty proud of. “Say what you wanna say about the road I chose,” Graham sings – and he’s right about that…people are always gonna have opinions about this or that (and especially us critics) – but at the end of the day, that road he’s chosen has led him here to the spotlight where he authentically belongs. As I told ya from the start, Graham was destined to make music…the road to get to this point might have been twisted & filled with obstacles…but he’s arrived at his destination…this artist is exactly where he belongs now, can see the road ahead of him clearly, and he’s got the talent to cruise right on into the future of his career.