Tear It Up: Marcy Grace Delivers a Knockout Debut
By Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine
Marcy Grace isn’t here to whisper. With her debut full-length album, Tear It Up, she makes that abundantly clear. This is an album that grabs you by the collar from the first note and doesn’t let go. It’s country rock with a visceral energy, a sound honed through years on the road, and it promises to do exactly what its title suggests.
This isn’t your typical polished studio album. Producer Kenny Lane Schwartz of Red Fox Recording in Bandera, Texas, captured the heart of Grace’s live performances, focusing on the raw, explosive power of her band. You can hear it in the thunderous drums and the loud, unapologetic guitars. Grace herself is at the center of it all—a confident vocalist and a fierce multi-instrumentalist who effortlessly commands the stage, whether she’s on drums, guitar, or banjo. The album feels less like a sterile studio creation and more like a live set brought directly to your speakers.
Grace’s latest single, “Knockout,” is a perfect example of this. It’s a road-tested dancehall favorite that channels the grit of the boxing ring into a high-energy anthem. As Grace herself says, she wanted to “blend the imagery of boxing and the dancefloor,” and she succeeds brilliantly. The song, co-written with Patrick Dodge, is a testament to her clever songwriting and her ability to build an entire atmosphere around a single idea. It’s a punchy, hook-filled track that will undoubtedly become a staple on her setlist.
The album is a true collaboration with her band, a group she’s clearly proud of. She notes that while they kept the core sound tight, they brought in some incredible talent to round things out, like Aaron Castilla and Tina Turner on fiddle and John Macy on pedal steel. This careful addition of instrumentation adds layers to the tracks without sacrificing the album’s core integrity. A particularly special moment is the inclusion of “Look Who’s Countin’,” a track Grace wrote with her father, Patrick Camacho, adding a personal and heartfelt touch to the collection.
With Tear It Up, Marcy Grace isn’t just breaking through—she’s blasting a hole in the wall. The album is a testament to her unique sound—a blend of southern grit, powerhouse vocals, and modern rock edge. From the full-throttle “Freight Train” to the highway-ready “If You Want The Rainbow,” each song is built to hit hard and stay with you. This isn’t background music. It’s the soundtrack to a Friday night, a loud, fearless, and unapologetic statement from an artist who’s ready to leave her mark.
Song Listing:
- Heavens To Betsy (Marcy Grace/Gary Cavanaugh)
- Tear It Up (Marcy Grace)
- Knockout (Marcy Grace/Patrick Dodge)
- If You Want The Rainbow (Marcy Grace)
- Look Who’s Countin’ (Marcy Grace/Patrick Camacho)
- Mason Jar (Marcy Grace)
- Freight Train (Marcy Grace/Dan Reifsnyder/John Cirillo)
- Mr. Lonely Eyes (Marcy Grace)
- Rather Be Drinkin’ Beer (Marcy Grace)
- If You Want The Rainbow (Acoustic) (Marcy Grace)