A third-generation musician, who loves music, whiskey and rowdy good times, Hoge fits the profile of a typical, lifelong Nashville resident. But the 25-year-old is also part of a growing community of artists who call Nashville home, but do not ascribe to the city's time-honored twang. But even among those artists, the mix of pop and R&B featured on Hoge's 11-song debut with Epic Records, Call It What You Want, is one-of-a-kind. "Nashville will always be country, but this town is filled with musicians who are open to everything from Bill Monroe to Bill Withers," says Hoge, whose voice is honeyed by a good-old-boy drawl. "That's why there are so many different kinds of music being made here today, for example - rock bands like Kings of Leon. Music City USA used to mean only country, but that's changing."
Hoge traces his old-school R&B roots back to the extensive library of music collected by his dad, a rock singer signed to Epic in the 60s. "A lot of it was passed down to him from his father, who played jazz in the 40s," Hoge explains. "My older brother, who's a popular indie rocker, inherited all of my dad's rock records and I was drawn to all of his soul and R&B music. The first record I can remember hearing was by Jackie Wilson. I fell in love with the way he used his voice like an instrument. It blew me away."
Hoge never outgrew his love for soul music and as a teenager started listening to modern R&B superstars such as Babyface, Boyz II Men and Brian McKnight. Later, he began performing at high school talent shows and at clubs in Nashville on songwriter nights. "Making music is a big part of the culture here. I wrote songs and sang just for fun and to impress girls," he says with a mischievous laugh.
That all changed a few years after high school when Hoge began singing demos of pop songs written by country songwriters. "I was working at a record company running the mailrooms for their biggest artists, when someone found out that I could sing," he recalls. "The next thing I know, I was behind a microphone."
Around the time Hoge got serious about music he also got serious about a girl. Following his heart, he packed up his life and left Nashville behind to follow her to Los Angeles. To make a long story short, things did not work out, and Hoge drove back home to Nashville in a U-Haul. "It was just me going cross-country for 40 hours with my pug, Nelly," he recalls. "I was so pissed about everything that I wound up writing most of the album on the drive home."
Propelled by a fluttering acoustic guitar, smoothed out beats and Hoge admonishing his former lover with, "You do somebody wrong, before too long it's gonna get done to you," Hoge says the first single, "360," helped him work through the break up. "It sounds like a sweet love song, but when you listen to the lyrics what you hear is raw emotion coming through," he explains. "It's the perfect break-up song hoping someone hurts them as much as they hurt you."
Call It What You Want is filled with R&B jams with a rock edge, sexy dance-pop and silky ballads that showcase Hoge's crisp songwriting and dexterous voice. He shifts effortlessly from sweet falsetto to libidinous growl on the driving dance floor track, "Call It," a song inspired by Hoge's experience trying to take a friendship to the next level. "Sometimes when you define a relationship lovers or friends you ruin it," he explains. "In a perfect world, people should listen to their hearts and not to their friends who want to complicate things by slapping some meaningless label on a simple feeling. If it feels right, don't question it; let it develop naturally."
With its opening line, "Well I'm not lying baby, didn't plan on spying baby," Hoge says the guitar-based R&B come-on "Work That Body" is the confession of an accidental peeping tom. "I was trying to capture the magic of those random moments of infatuation, like seeing a pretty girl at the stop light and falling in love until the light turns green," he explains.
Featuring performances by members of John Mellencamp's band, "Take It Or Leave It" embraces the instruments and attitude that made Nashville famous and gives Hoge a chance to put his own unique stamp on the city's sound. "I'm proud of my roots and this song is a declaration of who I am and where I'm from," he says. "To me, the screaming Dobro and thumping backbeat, are the sounds of my two worlds country and city colliding."
To record the string arrangements that give the album closer, "Undone," it's celestial edge, Hoge traveled to Philadelphia the home of one of his favs Boyz II Men. A reflection on the emotional journey that inspired the album, Hoge says the sensitive ballad gives the album a sense of resolution. "You can't let the losses in your life define you," he says. "For me, making Call It What You Want was a healing process and this song is the scar that's left over; a symbol of survival."
Try
Josh Hoge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Living this relationship over the phone
I?ve been feeling strung out down this lonely road
Find me an airplane or a midnight train and take me home
Traveling through the night to bring you love
Nothings gonna keep me gone
I?m gonna try, gonna try
For all of these lonely nights
That I wasn?t by your side
I?m gonna try for tonight
Baby, it?s all about you
And I?m gon' make love to you
Won?t stop til you forget what we've went through
I?m gonna try, gonna try, I'm gonna try babe
Thousands of miles, lonely motels baby
Cocaine and cigarettes, quite a few regrets, this is hell
I hold your face, hold your face in my hands babe
You know it?s not the same when it's in a frame
To be with you now I'd do anything
I would run through fire, I would walk through glass
Nothing's gonna keep me gone
Nothing's gonna keep me gone
I?m gonna try, gonna try
Try to make up the time
For all of these lonely nights
That I wasn?t by your side
I?m gonna try for tonight
Baby, it?s all about you
And I?m gon' make love to you
Won?t stop til you forget what we've went through
I?m gonna try
Baby I?m finally rolling on
Sugar turn the lights down low
Baby get ready, ready, ready
Oh I?m gonna try
Try and make up the time
For all of these lonely nights
I wasn?t by your side
I?m gonna try for tonight
Baby, it?s all about you
Oh and I?m gonna make love to you
Won?t stop til you forget what we've been through
Do you know baby
I?m gonna try, gonna try, I'm gonna try, Gonna try
I?m gonna try, Gonna try, Oh Oh Oh
I'm gonna try
The song "Try" by Josh Hoge speaks about a long-distance relationship that has been stretched too thin, and the singer's attempt to make amends for his absence. The first stanza describes his efforts to stay connected to his partner, living the relationship over the phone, feeling strung out and longing to return home. In the second stanza, the lyrics express the singer's despair in being far away, living in lonely motels, and resorting to cocaine and cigarettes. He misses his partner's presence, holding her face in his hands, and being with her in the moment rather than a photograph. The chorus reflects his determination to mend the relationship and make up for lost time, promising to try to be the partner he didn't get a chance to be.
The final stanza is a declaration of his intention to put in the effort to make things right. He is finally rolling on and turning down the lights, announcing his readiness to make love and forget about the past. The repetition of the phrase "I'm gonna try" in the song stresses his determination, showing that he is willing to do whatever it takes to be with his partner.
Overall, "Try" is an emotional and passionate song about rekindling a long-distance relationship. It highlights the importance of effort and determination in fighting for what you love, even when the odds are against you.
Line by Line Meaning
I’ve been trying to reach out every chance I get
I have been making an effort to communicate with you as much as possible
Living this relationship over the phone
We have been maintaining our relationship through long distance calls
I’ve been feeling strung out down this lonely road
The distance between us is causing me to feel stressed and isolated
Find me an airplane or a midnight train and take me home
I am willing to go to great lengths to be reunited with you
Traveling through the night to bring you love
I am willing to make sacrifices to be with you and show you my love
Nothings gonna keep me gone
I will not let anything keep me away from you
For all of these lonely nights That I wasn?t by your side
I am sorry for not being there for you during your lonely nights
Baby, it's all about you
My focus and attention is solely on you
And I'm gon' make love to you Won?t stop til you forget what we've went through
I am committed to making love to you and helping you forget any issues we have faced
Thousands of miles, lonely motels baby Cocaine and cigarettes, quite a few regrets, this is hell
Distance and separation have caused me to turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms and I regret the toll it has taken on us
You know it’s not the same when it's in a frame
Having your picture isn't enough to replace having you in person
To be with you now I'd do anything
I am willing to do anything to be with you in person
I would run through fire, I would walk through glass
I am willing to face any obstacle to be with you
Baby I’m finally rolling on Sugar turn the lights down low Baby get ready, ready, ready
I am so excited to finally be with you and can't wait to make love to you
Contributed by Sarah R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.