Crockett alum’s new album showcases change from ‘boys to the men’

Taylor Cochran has done a lot of growing up since graduating from David Crockett High School in 2010. And so has his music.
“I changed from the boys to the men as far as playing the music scene,” Cochran says. “I basically changed over from the guys I played with in high school to all older members, between 30 and 45.”
The 19-year-old country twanger spent his high school days as part of the group, “T.C. and the High Road Band.” The group put out their first CD, “Travelin’ Light” in 2009.
In 2010, the band name changed to spotlight its singer as a solo artist. About a year ago, the band members changed, too. And it was then that Taylor Cochran says he was reborn.
“I’ve changed. I finally found what was me,” he says. “It’s right on the verge of this modern country and traditional country.”
The Jonesborough native’s latest album, “She Can Keep The Change,” will be released later this month. All of the songs on the CD were written by Cochran.
“I’ve written these over the past year, year and a half,” he says, pointing out that he finds inspiration for his lyrics just about anywhere. “Some people say I write beyond my years, but playing music, you get to see a lot of things you wouldn’t otherwise.”
It’s through his music that he met a dear friend who lives in Nashville. She lost her husband last year, sparking Cochran to write a song dubbed, “The Rocking Chairs.”
“The chorus says, ‘Now there’s an empty seat full of memories,’” Cochran says.
Meanwhile, on the album’s title track, Cochran sings of a broken relationship with a woman who “always tried to change the way I was.”
In the chorus, Cochran proudly announces, She can keep the house/she can keep the ring/she can have all of our things/ but most of all, she can keep the change.
While “She Can Keep the Change,” is a song that seems to give Cochran the upper hand in a relationship, the singer’s favorite song on the album offers just the opposite.
“The last song on the CD was a spur of the moment thing,” Cochran says. “It’s just me, an acoustic guitar and a piano. It’s just raw. Everything is stripped down. You can tell, really, what I am like with that song.”
Called “Dreaming,” the ballad showcases Cochran’s raw vocal talent as he begs to hold on to what is left of a relationship.
After asking her to “unpack those bags and tell me I called your bluff,” Cochran confesses he “couldn’t face one day alone.”
This old house just ain’t a home without you/I think I’m dreaming/Maybe you are, too, he croons.
Cochran recorded his latest album at The Sound Asylum in Boones Creek, a recording studio he co-owned up until recently. Nashville-based Yes Master Studios provided audio mastering on the album.
The company has worked with the likes of Garth Brooks, Keith Urban and Jimmy Buffet to name a few.
Cochran will host a CD release party on Friday, July 27, at Capone’s, 227 E. Main St., Johnson City.
“We’ll play everything off the record and some cover tunes,” he says. “I just love it. There’s nothing like getting up there and playing a new song, or playing a song that everybody is singing along. There’s no thrill quite like that for me.”
Following the release party, Cochran says he is looking forward to getting out on the road to perform more for crowds. He is also considering a move to Nashville somewhere along the way.
“I talked about it this past year, but I just don’t know if I am ready for it yet. I want to travel to get my chops up more,” he says. “There’s thousands of other people trying to do the same thing as me. You’re just a little fish in a great big sea when you go to Nashville.”
Cochran is hoping his latest album might change that.
“I’ve been playing out a good bit of it and I’ve got real good responses. I hope it does good things for me,” he says. “Everyone says they want a record deal. I just want the right one.”
For more about Cochran and his music, visit www.facebook.com/taylorcochranmusic.