The Cumberland River Project offers a new way to breakup with Honey I Tried
By Alan Shipston for Country Music News International Magazine
The Cumberland River Project is the musical vision of prolific songwriter Frank Renfordt bent on writing solid songs and delivering great productions. Honey I Tried is a radio friendly, feel good breakup song with a 70’s pop flavour blending in a modern country feel. “I picked you flowers, put your name on a star, threw in everything I could confide, my platinum card, my fragile heart, honey I tried,” as the lyric pleads for some kind of reconciliation, only to realize that some relationships just don’t work. Blessed with this knowledge, the track points its way towards the lighter side of breaking up as Frank throws a lot of music into the production.
Clean electric guitar underpins the verses with a growing percussive feel beneath a bed of keyboards. “We couldn’t see eye to eye, the stars didn’t align, in the end it didn’t hurt to say goodbye,” convincingly sung by Nashville session singer, Easton Driver, who weaves his way easily through the message that when things fall apart, try to have fun. The playful song is written and produced by Frank Renfordt, who also contributed acoustic guitar, bass and keyboards while adding various programming to the mix. Ukraine session guitarist, Oleh Andrievsky played all the electric parts adding a nice amount of double stops and sliding ornaments along the way.
Renfordt began writing songs at the age of ten when his parents gifted him a guitar and he learned his first chords. As a teenager, he played bass in his hometown of Hagen, Germany with a band call Ring. He would then turn his attention to family and a career in the steel industry. Many years later, Frank would again discover his love of music and inspire him to visit Nashville, Tennessee, rekindling his love for country and Americana music. With his catchy, storytelling songs, Renfordt was a finalist in the renowned UK Songwriting Contest as well as receiving Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting at the Great American Song Contest.
Frank has released two albums, an EP and various singles under The Cumberland River Project. Honey I Tried is an interesting take on the break up subject and should be a welcome addition for fans of Frank Renfordt and The Cumberland River Project.