And the award for “Only in Brooklyn” goes to… Joe Country, "The Caribbean Country Boy". Yes, you read correctly--Caribbean. Apparently, on warm little islands like Grenada and St. Lucia, country music is a big deal—at least big enough to bring in classic acts like Stonewall Jackson and Kitty Wells.  So what does a Caribbean country singer sound like?  Pretty damn good, actually. The arrangements are pretty standard, but, as you might imagine, it’s the voice that makes this stuff really unique. Joe manages to find the common ground between Marley’s soulful rasp and Hank’s lonesome wail, without trying to imitate either.  As he says in the title track of his solo album, I Wasn’t Born in Texas, “ It’s not where I’m from, it’s the kind of man I am.“ This could easily be just an oddball novelty act, were it not for the fact that this guy obviously grew up loving this stuff, and isn’t afraid to give it his own twist. If ever there was proof that a good lyric is universal, this is it, folks.

Download "I Wasn't Born In Texas" (mp3 file, 1.3 MB)

Contact Joe at 718-773-4354

Visit Joe Country and his band the Islanders at http://www.music.columbia.edu/~cecenter/AF/IslandCountry/Islanders.html

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