{"id":1308393,"date":"2019-04-11T13:19:12","date_gmt":"2019-04-11T19:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/?p=1805291"},"modified":"2019-04-11T13:19:12","modified_gmt":"2019-04-11T19:19:12","slug":"how-matt-stell-keeps-the-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/music-news\/how-matt-stell-keeps-the-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"How Matt Stell Keeps the Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by Alison Bonaguro<\/a><\/span> 33m ago<\/span><\/span> <\/p>\n

When I meet a new artist for the first time, one of the questions I always ask is, \u201cWhat\u2019s a song you wish you\u2019d written?\u201d It helps me gauge the artist\u2019s roots, and tells me whether or not we will be the same page.<\/p>\n

So in walks Matt Stell. And right away, he tells me that he has a long list of those songs he wishes he\u2019d written. These are his top two:<\/p>\n

Deana Carter\u2019s 1996 hit \u201dStrawberry Wine<\/a>\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cIt\u2019s the best song ever written. I play it every time I play. That time in a person\u2019s life is so formative, so I remember vividly that line about \u2019my first taste of love.\u2019 That\u2019s when you are learning what love is and what it isn\u2019t. I still remember every word now, as an adult. It\u2019s just such a perfect song.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomas Rhett\u2019s 2017 ballad \u201cMarry Me<\/a>\u201d<\/strong>
\u201cThis one just hits you with that bridge, about hiding out in the back, drinking whiskey out the flask, and how her dad ain\u2019t the only one giving her away. It\u2019s such a monster song.\u201d<\/p>\n

We went on to talk about other obscure song favorites we had in common: Tim McGraw\u2019s \u201cHow Bad Do You Want It,\u201d Jamey Johnson\u2019s \u201cLonely at the Top,\u201d Trent Tomlinson\u2019s \u201cOne Wing in the Fire<\/a>,\u201d and Jana Kramer\u2019s \u201cI Got the Boy<\/a>.\u201d That whole conversation told me everything I needed to know about the singer-songwriter behind \u201cPrayed For You.\u201d<\/p>\n

More importantly, that kind of love for powerful lyrics is what Stell brings with him into songwriting sessions in Nashville. \u201cThe first song I remember writing was \u2019Sheepskin Road\u2019 about where I grew up. But when you get to Nashville, writers say, \u2019Don\u2019t tell me. Show me.\u2019 It\u2019s a craft,\u201d he said. \u201cCreating music is an exercise in humility. It\u2019s like, \u2019You don\u2019t like this song? Here\u2019s a guitar. Have at it.\u2019 So that changes the way you listen to other people\u2019s songs. That\u2019s why lyrics are so important, and why they matter in a different way in country music. The narrative is one of the only things that makes a song country anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for his own breakout single, he told me it has some pretty universal truths and feelings about love. \u201cI\u2019ve had such a charmed life,\u201d Stell admitted, \u201cso it\u2019s hard for me to not<\/em> think that surely someone is responsible for this. And yet, I\u2019m not that guy \u2014 the church pew regular, quote-you-the-scripture kind \u2014 but I\u2019m still a believer. Stell wrote the song with Ash Bowers and Allison Veltz, and the newly engaged Savannah Chrisley and Nic Kerdiles star in the video together.<\/p>\n

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