Today's Pick

Eli Young Band has premiered an emotional video for the latest single "Even if It Breaks Your Heart," the first track appears on their debut record with Republic Nashville, "Life At Best." The Denton, Texas, foursome is still riding high on and having enjoyed immense success this past year with their catchiest country single "Crazy Girl," that topped charts for the latter half of 2011, "Even if it Breaks Your Heart" has a lot of expectations to live up to.
Instantly familiar, the new tune gets a heartwarming and aesthetically-pleasing video treatment. It was difficult not to slobber with envy when we saw that wall full of "beat up, old guitars." This track is strongly reminiscent of their first release back in 2002. The soft rhythmic guitar intro reminds me a lot of "Show You How To Love Again," and as always, Mike Eli's voice resonates smooth, honest, and full of soul that is both surprising and comforting. The song is slightly reminiscent of the feel-good style of "Walking in Memphis," and the setting of the video perfectly encompasses that feel.
Filmed in Gruhn Guitars in downtown Nashville with the feel of a classic American country rock song, the Brian Lazzaro-directed video flashes between the band performing live in the shop and young people searching for fame and fortune in Nashville. It starts with what looks like a flashback of two young boys peeking and playing drums in the guitar shop, an older, more tattered guitar man from outside the shop comes into the shop to sell his guitar, as though he's just given up on the dream. But as he stands there with the fresh cash in hand, the boy comes up and gets him to autograph one of his records. And that changes everything. Inspired by this glimmer of a memory, the man hands back the money and picks his dream back up with a newfound hope.
"It's the message and the story of the band," drummer Chris Thompson told CMT. "It's twofold. Lyrically, the story relates to what the four of us have been through, developing our career - slowly, gradually building this thing. But the underlying message of the storyline is hope and optimism. We've always had a lot of hope and optimism in what we've done, and we've always believed in ourselves and tried to keep pushing to see what's around the corner. We're shooting for the next biggest thing, and I think that's the key to our success over a long amount of time together."

Texas-based country music band, Eli Young Band (EYB) has the world premiere of new music video for their best selling singles, "Guinevere" via CMT Network on January 4 to ring in the New Year. The Band have had a couple of successful singles on the radio, but this one may become their biggest hit yet.
"Guinevere" is the fourth single, perhaps the most heartfelt EYB song released from their third album "Jet Black & Jealous," such an intriguing musical property, a 12-song CD that paints even the difficult turns in life with an underlying optimism. The album was released on September 16, 2008 by Universal South, and has accounted for three Top 40 singles on the Billboard country singles charts. They've come a long way from playing in small clubs across Texas, have now become a potent draw in the Southwest to a world premiere video on the home page of CMT.com.
"Guinevere" is not the song I expected the group to release to radio at this point in time, but I'm pleasantly surprised because "Guinevere" is one of the best tracks on "Jet Black & Jealous" and the song paints vivid images of a deeply flawed girl who is always looking for the quick fix to her problems, usually in the form one night stands. The girl's problems really stem from the fact that she 'let her guard down' and allowed a man to 'break her heart' so rather than let love in, this girl continuously searches for unfulfilling romances, just like "Guinevere" instead, all the while holding grudges. The emotionally torn girl in "Guinevere," focus on the future, even when she's uncertain what that future will be.
The EYB's music has all the hallmarks of youth: passion, energy, excitement. Sticking around is a major tenet of the EYB. Those attitudes distinctly mirror the real-life philosophies of the EYB, and their persistence led to new career plateaus. The band's story is the definition of commitment: eight years into the journey, that national target has shifted from a hazy, optimistic dream to a very realistic possibility. Throughout their advances, the EYB has maintained an internal enthusiasm that's easily apparent in "Jet Black & Jealous" album. The album's driving sound and never-say-die lyrical core capture the free-wheeling nature of their concerts, which have built them a solid base of fans.