We’ve certainly covered the release of former Shenandoah front man Marty Raybon’s new album At His Best in these pages but sometimes a live performance really gives a song or an album all that much more meaning and that is the case with At His Best from Marty Raybon. After WSM 650 legend Bill Cody’s introduction, Marty Raybon and his band (including guest drummer Billy Block) ripped into a rousing version of “Next To You, Next To Me,” one of Shenandoah’s most well-known hits.
After performing that classic song, Marty ripped through note-perfect renditions of most of the tracks featured on At His Best including the up tempo tracks like Paul Brewster’s “I Just Want To Touch You,” “The Heat Is On” and “Big Pain.” These songs showed why Marty Raybon is one of the country music industry’s most cherished vocalists. During the hour-long set Marty also showcased some of the ballads on the record, including his moving tribute to his son Matthew, “Still My Little Man.” Matthew is on Active duty in Iraq. The lead single from the At His Best project is “Daddy Phone,” and Marty discussed why this song means so much to him with his hope that it could help people avoid what has happened to the narrator in the song, the broken marriage that has put a little strain on a father/son relationship.
Marty Raybon is an engaging and entertaining performer that can quickly have the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand and in a room filled with many industry folks, Marty Raybon managed to get them to not only pay attention to the music but singing along as he closed out his show with “The Church On Cumberland Road.”
If you ever get a chance to see Marty Raybon perform live, you should jump at the chance to do so. If you don’t think you can, you should pick up the wonderful At His Best album because it truly is Marty Raybon doing what he does best, sing country music.
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