If Johnny Reid’s music defies easy definition it’s because the stories he tells have more than their fair share of miles on them. From Scotland, to Canada, to Nashville, the ground he’s covered lends a depth of soul to his songs that sets them apart.

Driven by his love of music and family, Kicking Stones showcases Reid’s no nonsense country sensibilities, mining the same deep well of personality and charm that made his award winning debut, Born to Roll, a breakout success. It’s a far more personal record, says the Scottish born, Canadian bred, singer/songwriter. “I just want people to know I do this because I love to write and sing, and above everything, to take care of the people I love.”

Recorded in Blue Room Studios with acclaimed Nashville producer and 5 time Grammy winner, Brent Maher (The Judds, Shelby Lynne, Kenny Rogers, Carl Perkins, Bobby Darin, Dottie West, Ike & Tina among others), Kicking Stones showcases Reid’s ample talent for putting his feelings of love, gratitude and hope down in words the rest of us can sing along with as if they were our very own.

Kicking Stones steps away from Born to Roll some, balancing a live ‘off the floor’ immediacy against a backdrop of rich horn arrangements and lush orchestration. “Part of the job is that you’re constantly searching, right?" Going with an R n B/Country soul feel brought him closer to who he really is, he says. “It’s not about the beginning or the end; it’s the moments in between.” Those moments are celebrated widely on Kicking Stones. They’re the ones we all share, but few give voice to with as much compelling honesty as Johnny Reid.

On ‘Thank You’ that honesty is riveting. One of most personal tracks on the record, it began as a few words penned as a Valentine’s wish to his wife. Without ever losing the quiet intimacy of a love letter, in the studio it grew into a sparsely orchestrated, but powerful ballad – a universal thank you to the places and people that allowed him to grow as a person and an artist along the way.

Where Born to Roll dwelled heavily on the road, Kicking Stones home is Reid’s heart. From the unabashed optimism of the lead single, ‘Love Sweet Love’, to the more introspective sentiments of ‘Feelin’ All Right Today’ and ‘That Kind Of Lonely’, Reid lays bare his soul, answering the question posed by the first song written for the record, Which Way Is Home.

During the whirlwind of touring with some of Country’s biggest stars (Dwight Yoakam, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Brad Paisley and Terri Clark) the way may have been hidden at times, but the destination was always clear. “The thing you want to do with your second record is show people you’re growing.” The energy brought to the sessions by recording live with Mark Knopfler’s touring band helps Reid do just that. Co-writing with Maher, and others, also strengthened Johnny’s ability to write songs the rest of us can easily slip into and see our own lives in. But above all, the band, the sessions, and the sound made Johnny feel like he was getting back to himself.

It may help listener’s do the same. The songs and stories on Kicking Stones cover a lot of ground: from Glasgow, to Canada, to Nashville, but they’re rooted in very familiar places. Some hopeful, some painful, but all well loved and lived in enough to take us back to similar hidden places in our own memories.

Nowhere is that more true than on the album’s title track, the final and perhaps most personal cut on the record. Reid’s voice soars above mournful pipes and classic soul B3’s, revisiting Glasgow and summing up the everyday tradeoff between good times and bad. “It’s a song about growing up in Scotland, about memories and hope.” Drawing on the musical traditions of two continents, it’s rooted in the experiences of everyday working people, regardless of where they call home, or how far they get from it. A reminder of how hope and glory, faith, love, and loss tie our lives together with the lives of the people we love.

Interest grew in Johnny’s unique voice over the life of his debut record as songs from Born To Roll hit the top twenty repeatedly. ‘Missing an Angel’ took the #1 spot on CMT’s Chevy top twenty. Johnny also garnered nominations for 5 2006 CCMA awards and took three, including Single Of The Year and Rising Star Of The Year. -maplemusic.com