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Jason Michael Carroll is Ready to Raise the Roof
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Jason Michael Carroll
By John Benson
ROOTSTOWN
Four years removed from his last studio effort, Jason Michael Carroll is finally readying the release of his new effort “What Color Is Your Sky” for early 2015.
“We’re excited because we’ve been writing like crazy trying to get these new songs out and to the crowd,” said Carroll, calling from his North Carolina home. “I think there’s no better place to test a song but in front of a live audience to see if it’s any good or not.
“The response we’ve gotten live has been great but eventually, after like three or four years, people are saying, ‘You have all of these new songs you’re playing, when are you going to put on a new record?’ It’s kind of embarrassing but because I was focusing on touring and writing, I never thought about taking time to stop. But we did that this past year, and it’s pretty cool to have this record finished.”
“What Color Is Your Sky” includes the acoustic single “Close Enough” and the more upbeat “God Only Knows.” The former was released last year and enjoyed success at radio, with its video staying at No. 1 for five weeks at CMT Pure. The latter track is currently being released and acts as the lead-in to the new CD, which Carroll said truly marks a new direction of his career.
It was a decade ago Carroll was discovered at a local talent competition and soon thereafter signed with Arista Nashville, which released his debut album, “Waitin’ In The Country.”
The album hit No. 1 on the country charts based on the success of its three Top 40 hits including “Alyssa Lies,” “Livin’ Our Love Song,” and “I Can Sleep When I’m Dead.” Carroll followed up his success with sophomore effort “Growing Up Is Getting Old,” with its two singles “Where I’m From” and “Hurry Home” ending up in the Top 20. However, Carroll left the major label before the release of his third album “Numbers.”
Now armed with “What Color Is Your Sky,” Carroll said he finally recorded an album that truly captures his live performance.
“This is totally a new chapter,” Carroll said. “‘Numbers’ had a lot of influence from former management and my producer. I think it was my favorite record I’ve done to date but this new record was totally us.
“It was the creative collective of me and the band. The songs I wrote with friends of mine. And I’m really proud of having my band actually perform the songs [on the album].”
Carroll can’t wait to return to Northeast Ohio for what he hopes will be yet another memorable show at the Dusty Armadillo. The singer and his band are scheduled to perform Saturday at the Rootstown venue.
“That place is one of the coolest places to play,” Carroll said. “It’s just the energy the crowd brings there. The people that come to that bar are there for a good time, and we try to deliver. We’ve always had the impression that if we leave the stage and we’re not sweating, then we didn’t do something right. With the low ceilings and everything in there, it’s always cool to be able to jump around and move around.
“We’ve played that place four or five times, and every time we’ve been there we’ve never been disappointed with them, and I don’t think they’ve been disappointed with us. So we’re excited to be going back. The people there sing along and get rowdy. It turns into a good time pretty quick.”