Old Enough to Know Better (CD - 1995)

Personnel: Wade Hayes, Patti Loveless (vocals); Mark Casstevens (acoustic guitar); Brent Mason (electric guitar, 6-string bass); Bruce C. Bouton (slide & pedal steel guitars); Rob Hajacos (fiddle); Mitch Humphries (piano, B-3 organ); Michael Rhodes (bass); Lonnie Wilson (drums, percussion); John Wesley Ryles, Dennis Wilson (background vocals).

Recorded at The Soundshop "A&B," Nashville, Tennessee.

Personnel: Wade Hayes (vocals, guitar); Mark Casstevens (acoustic guitar); Brent Mason (electric guitar); Rob Hajacos (fiddle); John Barlow Jarvis, Mitch Humphries (piano); Lonnie Wilson (drums, percussion); Dennis Wilson , John Wesley Ryles (background vocals).

Recording information: Soundshop "A&B", Nashville, TN.

Photographer: Alan Messer.

Unknown Contributor Role: Bruce Bouton.

Brought up on music recorded by legendary artists like Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and George Jones, it's little wonder Wade Hayes has such a feel for their style of country music. On this 1995 debut album, Old Enough to Know Better, Hayes offers up some impressive honky tonk numbers, three of which he helped pen: "I'm Still Dancin' With You," "It's Gonna Take a Miracle," and the title track and number one hit "Old Enough to Know Better." Three other songs from the recording also hit the charts in the Top Ten. One listen and music fans will understand why this album landed so many hits and went gold for the young singer. Don Cook, who has worked with award-winning artists like Brooks & Dunn and the Mavericks, served as producer on this debut, though he didn't do so with a heavy hand and left young Hayes in control of his music. Cook did write or co-write some of the tunes for the album, such as "Don't Make Me Come to Tulsa," "Kentucky Bluebird," "What I Meant to Say," and "Steady As She Goes." Wade Hayes is a talented singer and songwriter. Combined with Don Cook at the controls, the music on this album is the kind country fans will enjoy listening to over and over. ~ Charlotte Dillon

Wade Hayes knows all the buttons to push to get a country hit. OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER, his debut, is an appealing neo-traditional collection that smacks of authenticity. This guy has not "gone country," he is country.

Exploring more hard-edged sounds, Wade breaks down some boundaries, but his roots--from hard country to blugrass--are always apparent. The album contains some strong ballads ("I'm Still Dancing With You") and rockers ("Don't Make Me Come To Tulsa") which are sung in a resonant and more convincing voice than most newcomers his age are able to muster. The boot-scootin' title track has all the elements of an anthemic #1 hit. Brooks & Dunn provide a sturdy track, "Steady As She Goes," and there is a cover Of Keith Whitley's tender "Kentucky Bluebird" featuring Patty Loveless on harmony vocals.

Wade stands out from the nouveux Nashville crowd for many reasons--he writes and sings well, and has a solid country sound. And when Hayes combines these talents, as he does on OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER, they're a testament as to why he has a better than average chance of striking gold. minimize