Josh Grider Talks About ‘Luck & Desire’, Working With Trent Willmon + More – Exlculsive Interview

Josh Grider is excited, and with great reason. His new CD, 'Luck & Desire' is finally released, Josh feels it's the best work he's done in his career and nobody will argue that. He joined the KEAN 105 Afternoon Show to talk about the new album.

Grider admits he took a detour from country music a few years back with his project The Josh Grider Trio. While that phase of Josh's career turned out some outstanding music, 'Luck & Desire' is more country-influenced. It also promises to take Josh to another level of success. In our conversation, he tells us, "I'm pumped. I really am. I couldn't be prouder of this record, and it's finally time to share it with everybody. We recorded it late last year, so I've kind of been watching it come together, and it's finally just exactly the way I want it to be, and it's time to put it out there for everybody to hear." I asked Josh if he knew the new CD was something special as he it was being put together in the studio. He tells us, "I really did, man. Once we got in there and started tracking it and I started hearing it come together, I was like 'alright. Alright. Yep, this is feeling good'".

Grider goes on to describe the makeup of 'Luck & Desire' in a very cool way. "It's a very intentional album, you know. I've been writing, you know, it's been a long time since I put out a full length album. I think, I don't know, it's intentional. Every song has its place and its purpose on the album, and it's all reflective of me personally or musically. And I hope that all that comes through when you hear it. And again, if you don't hear all that, that's fine. Because I think the songs all stand on their own. Just, you know, song after song is their own little works. So they work together and they work independently."

I asked Josh to elaborate on 'Vinyl', one of the more feel-good songs on 'Luck & Desire'. He tells us about writing it, "It was a trip. I had the idea, I wanted to write 'Vinyl', you know, I just thought it was such a cool thing and I had just gotten a record player. And I grew up listening to my dad's vinyl [records] and stuff. I knew the record, but I was trying think of other things vinyl, you know, trying to be crafty with it a little bit. And I thought of the vinyl seats, because I drive this old Suburban, the Honey Badger...it's got vinyl seats, and they get so hot, you know? And then my friend, Greg Becker that I wrote the song with, was like, 'What about vinyl floors, man? Did you grow up on those?' And I was like 'Oh, of course!'...it's a leading contender for the second single [off 'Luck & Desire].

The timing of the CD's first single, 'White Van' has peaked on the charts nicely to coincide with the release of 'Luck& Desire', at #4 and rising the week of the album release. Grider states, "I love it when a plan comes together. And it seems like it's happened so few times in my life. But I am in the midst of a plan coming together. The single is peaking, and the record is coming out all at the same time, just like it was ordained."

'Luck & Desire' was produced by Trent Willmon, who is not just a great producer and songwriter, but Josh and Trent are also friends. "Well, he's just a snake-wranglin' Texas cowboy [laughs]...Man, Trent is one of a kind, to say the least. We became friends shortly after I moved to Nashville...we were co-writers. He was a guy that I'd write songs with, then we ended up getting signed to the same publishing company, and then it came time to do [the 'Gettin' There' EP]. And man, it came together so fast, and man, we just pulled it off, almost in the blink of an eye, between deciding to record and getting the band. It worked so good for me, I had three #1's off that EP, and for once in my life, when something was going right in my life, I didn't shoot myself in the foot and totally change direction. I said 'Well that went perfect. Let's do it again.' So, we had a lot more time this time, picking songs and picking our band, and putting the whole thing together. Artist, songwriter and producer [Willmon] is a triple-threat for sure."

Grider does a duet called 'Skin and Bones' with his wife, Kristi, and Josh talked about her talent. "Her talent is unbelievable. I tell everyone that I'm the third or fourth best singer in my whole house, between the boys and my wife, man, there's a lot of talent in my house...we had done some duets before, but I'm so glad she's on this record, because I think ['Luck & Desire'] is going to get more attention than, probably anything I've done up to now. For her to be showcased on there - she sang a lot of the background harmonies - but for her to have that duet, it's really cool. I tell people all the time that she's great, but you know, when it's the husband talking about a wife, people don't know...but no. It's for real. She's one bad mamma jamma."

Josh also gets into detail about a tear-jerker, 'High Enough', a song co-written with Adam Hood, and the 'Luck & Desire' album as a whole. "We cover a lot of ground. It's a wide album. I'll say that. The unifying thing in it is me. I had my hand in writing all but one of the songs. But 'High Enough' definitely covers the more classic country stuff that I was raised on, and that is still very near and dear to my heart. That covers that base."

The new CD is available through Josh Grider's official website, on iTunes, and of course you can pick up a copy at one of his shows from this point on. Josh's next trip to Abilene has yet to be scheduled, but we will keep you posted to let you know when you can see Grider on a stage near you. Congratulations, Josh!