Do You Believe Me Now is the next step in Jimmy's evolution as an artist. Time on the road has made his voice even stronger and more seasoned. Interaction with the fans has heightened his awareness of what an audience wants when they come to a show. Thus the new album is teeming with up tempo tracks. Jimmy has grown as a songwriter and with maturity comes a broader view of life that informs his music. While his first album was an intensely personal, almost cathartic collection, Jimmy's new songs tend to explore more universal themes, yet still maintain inspiration from an intensely personal place. Do You Believe Me Now, features the hit single that has re-introduced him to a hungry country radio audience. The rest of the album runs the gamut from the summertime fun of "I'll Do That" to the sensual "One on One" about a couple needing their alone time.
A standout track is certain to be Jimmy's duet with Patty Loveless, titled "No Good For Me." "I hold honesty in lyrics and in vocal performance above all else in my music," he said. "For me, Patty represents the embodiment of honesty in music to which the rest of us can only aspire."
"Didn't Come Here to Lose" is a buoyant tune about not giving up on your musical dreams despite the challenges. "Where You're Going" is an empowering anthem that features a guest vocal by John Oates of the legendary duo Hall & Oates. Jimmy will be a special guest on Oates' forthcoming project.
One of the album's highlights is the autobiographical "Kerosene Kid," a song that holds special significance to Jimmy because of his extensive charity work with disadvantaged youth. "When you smell kerosene on a kid at school, you just know that they have a hard life," says Jimmy. "Usually the kids who heat by a kerosene heater are poor kids. They live in trailers or old houses and that's their only way of staying warm is to either use a kerosene or a wood heater. This song says `Don't let them get you down, keep your head up and stay proud.'"
