For hitmaker Michael Ray, a year of slowing down initially felt uncomfortable. No stranger to loss and coupled with the feelings of isolation experienced around the globe, it was downright terrifying. But Ray took on these challenges by self-reflecting and connecting with his fans and family, giving way to a fresh mindset that has allowed him to produce his most authentic music to date, as evidenced by his latest single “Whiskey And Rain,” with the official music video premiering today, Oct. 28, on SiriusXM’s The Highway.
The single “taps into the moody, sultry, darker sounds of the ‘90s,” shares MusicRow, and the music video for “Whiskey And Rain,” directed by Sean Hagwell, draws on those elements as it moves back in time to an evocative tavern on a stormy evening, and features Ray joining multiple characters from all walks of life until closing time.
“I wanted the video to feel familiar to anyone who watches it, and I think we accomplished that with a throwback to a honkytonk,” Ray shared with SiriusXM. “But more importantly, I wanted to show how heartbreak can open you up to genuine connections with other people. If you’re already feeling vulnerable, maybe you’re more likely to be a listening ear for someone else, or maybe it makes it more important to champion other folks who are doing well. Opening yourself up to that can help ease your own heartbreak a little faster.”
Despite already earning two hit albums, three No. 1s and five RIAA Gold-Certified singles with hits such as “One That Got Away,” “Think A Little Less” and “Her World Or Mine” – which has amassed 19 million views and counting for its official music video starring Chad Michael Murray – Ray is confident that this next chapter is his best work to date, with “Whiskey And Rain” delivered to Country radio earlier this week.
“I’m very proud of and grateful for everything we’ve done over the last decade, but this is the music I originally came to Nashville to make,” Ray explains. “I think fans will get a better idea of who I am as an artist. And when we can get back to live shows, I hope they’ll come out and sing it with us.”
Written by Josh Thompson and Jesse Frasure, “Whiskey And Rain” is “equal parts Ronnie Milsap and Gary Allan, a mix of the piano man’s Eighties swing and the Nineties lonesomeness of Allan’s Smoke Rings in the Dark,” declares Rolling Stone,while Billboard notes “the tune is a throwback to brooding songs from the ‘80s and ‘90s with solid production by Ross Copperman highlighting Ray’s vulnerable delivery.”
Alongside the release of “Whiskey And Rain,” available now on all platforms, Ray shared a striking performance video followed by a prequel video with visualizer elements, setting up a cinematic theme for today’s video premiere. Watch the performance video HERE and the prequel HERE.
About Michael Ray
For Michael Ray, music is his grandfather singing and sweating on a rural Florida stage. It’s the childhood refuge he found during the pain of his parents’ divorce. It’s family and stories, history and hope. Ray says music saved him, but it did even more: Music made him. In four short years, Ray has built an impressive foundation. Three No. 1 songs “Kiss You in the Morning,” “Think a Little Less,” and “One That Got Away,” plus “Get to You” and “Her World or Mine,” brings his tally to five Gold-certified singles. The poignant “Her World or Mine”––the third song off of his sophomore album Amos––also produced a video that has captured more than 19 million YouTube views since its debut less than a year ago. Now, two hit albums into that all-too-rare blend of critically acclaimed and commercially successful career, Ray has released “Whiskey And Rain,” the first single off of his upcoming project produced by GRAMMY-nominated song whisperer Ross Copperman. Proof that heartbroken wallowing can feel good if it swings, “Whiskey and Rain” also cements Ray as the ideal bridge between vintage country cool and modern country’s best sounds. See Ray live every Tuesday on his Honkytonk Tuesday virtual series, where he plays his favorite ‘80s and ‘90s tunes with surprise guests. Learn more about Ray at MichaelRayMusic.com or follow him on Instagram and Twitter @MichaelRayMusic and Facebook.com/MusicMichaelRay.