New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Willie Jones "perfectly mashes R&B and hip-hop with a genuine country sound" (PEOPLE) on his debut record 'Right Now' - one of the "most notable releases of the week" (Vulture). It's available everywhere today (1.22) via The Penthouse/EMPIRE, here: music.empi.re/rightnow.opr
"My first album is finally out, and I'm damn happy about it," says Jones. "I've grown so much in the process, and I'm thankful for everybody who has had a part in making this happen. Much love to the producers and writers who I had the pleasure of collaborating with on this. I'm blessed to have had the freedom to experiment and find my sound, my tone, my voice and present who I am 'Right Now.'"
Produced by MyGuyMars (Snoop Dogg, Jay Z, Drake), Mark Batson (Eminem, Dr. Dre) and Justin Ebach (Dustin Lynch,
Brett Young, Jordan Davis), and other genre bending producers, the album kicks off with "Country Soul," a nod to his Shreveport, LA roots that acknowledges his love for both
Tim McGraw and T.I.;
Marvin Gaye to
Aerosmith — setting the tone for an album that defies genre expectations.
Jones paints a pre-pandemic picture of the modern Nashville nightlife with the light-hearted party anthem "Bachelorettes on Broadway," a streaming heavy-hitter with 11million+ plays on Spotify alone. His sweet-natured song "Down For It" debuts with three diverse sonic treatments — one solo and two versions with rapper T.I., one remixed by Grammy-nominated JD Walker and the other by MyGuyMars. Album title track "
Right Now" begs listeners to live in the moment and features old-school guitar riffs, while the driving banjo licks of "Trainwreck" and the spacey pop-infused sonics of "Drank Too Much" showcase Jones' musical flexibility. "Whole Lotta Love" shows how love is more precious than any material object, and the somber piano ballad "Actions" recount half-hearted attempts at affection.
The highlight, though, of the 'Right Now' album also features Jones' standout patriotic protest anthem "American Dream," which premiered with PEOPLE earlier this week in honor of
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (1.18). Watch the video, which is airing on BET and CMT, here: youtu.be/K8xqcuK-aD0
Earlier this week, Jones launched his #IHaveAnAmericanDream social initiative in partnership with the newly opened
National Museum of African American
Music (NMAAM). He also performed at the museum's ribbon cutting ceremony, closing the morning with a performance of his "
American Dream" single. For more information on Jones, visit williejonesmusic.com.
"RIGHT NOW" LP (tracklist + credits)
Jonnie Forster, A&R and Executive Producer
Lamar 'MyGuyMars' Edwards, Co-Executive Producer
1 - Country Soul
Produced by Essancy. Mixed by Jim Cooley.
Songwriters: Willie Jones / Nick Autry / Essancy / Michael Todd
2 - Back Porch
Produced by Michael Lotten. Co-Produced by Nick Autry. Mixed by Jim Cooley.
Songwriters: Willie Jones / Nick Autry / Michael Lotten / Lamar Edwards
3 - Bachelorettes on Broadway
Produced by Dave Audé for Awestruck Productions. Co-Produced by Essancy. Mixed by Jim Cooley.
Songwriters: Willie Jones / Essancy / Dave Audé / Lamar Edwards / Jason Robinson
4 - Down For It
Produced by Essancy. Mixed by Jim Cooley.
Songwriters: Wilie Jones / Essancy /
Nicole Croteau /
David Mohr / Clifford Harris /
James Scheffer /
David Siegel / Lamar Edwards
5 - American Dream
Produced by Jason Afable. Mixed by Jim Cooley.
Songwriters: Willie Jones / Jason Afable / Josh Logan / Alex Goodwin
6 - Right Now
Produced by
Dream Addix. Mixed by Jim Cooley.
Sognwriters: Willie Jones / Christian Valenzuela / Michael Ferrucci / Lamar Edwards / Dillon Rupp
7 - Trainwreck
Produced by Mark Batson for One Unlimited Entertainment, Inc. Co-Produced by Justin Ebach. Mixed by Jim Cooley.
Songwriters: Willie Jones / Mark Baston / Justin Ebach
8 - Drank Too Much
Produced by Eric Arjes. Mixed by Jim Cooley.
Songwriters: Willie Jones / Eric Arjes / Brad Clawson / Lamar Edwards
9 - Whole Lotta Love
Produced by Essancy. Mixed by Jim Cooley.
Songwriters: Willie Jones / Essancy /
Juliet Piper / Lamar Edwards
10 - Actions
Produced by Essancy. Mixed by Jim Cooley.
Songwriter: Willie Jones
12 - Down For It (JD Walker Version) ft. T.I.
Produced and mixed by JD Walker for ETS Records.
Songwriters: Willie Jones / Essancy /
Nicole Croteau /
David Mohr / Clifford Harris /
James Scheffer /
David Siegel / Joshua Walker
11 - Down For It (MyGuyMars Mix) ft. T.I.
Produced and mixed by Lamar 'MyGuyMars' Edwards.
Songwriters: Willie Jones / Essancy /
Nicole Croteau /
David Mohr / Clifford Harris /
James Scheffer /
David Siegel / Lamar Edwards
