"This is a link to my 'CONFESSIONS' recording now available for free on YouTube and Spotify. I just want y'all to hear it because I made it for us all. The running theme is LOVE ❤️ " - Rusty

To know Rusty is to know he's a quiet romantic at heart.  His third solo project is titled CONFESSIONS, and focuses on the theme of love in it's many forms, from the anticipation of falling in love, to the passion of love, to the reverie of love lost and reconciling with the past.

Tracks: 1. Fifty Fifty 2. Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand) 3. Heartbeats 4. Give Her My Best 5. Come On In Love

EP Trivia:  The EP cover features Rusty in his now signature purple jacket -- purple is a color often associated with confessions.

The song "Fifty-fifty" has a line in it reminiscent of some of the wise observations and counsel Rusty is often sharing on the subject of love:  "A wise man told me, the only way to know for sure, is always be the one you're looking for.  Honest, understanding, patient and forgiving, the odds are even no matter, no matter where you are.  It's a fifty-fifty world..."

More trivia below from Rusty for the songs listed.

HEARTBEATS

"Another song I wrote with Jimbeau Hinson back in 2018. It was released the following year. 

TRIVIA: The pianos were recorded in Bahrain at Studio 77. I actually did 3-4 sessions during my time overseas. Thanks to technology, I was able to come back home and finish what you are hearing here. Special thanks to Chris Carmichael for the orchestral arrangement."

COME ON IN LOVE

"I wrote this song alone on Pensacola Beach back in 1979. 

I never recorded a decent version until 40 years later. It's the final cut on the 'Confessions' extended play. 

I love Pat Buchanan 's guitar work. It reminds [me] of the guitar solos on various Steely Dan songs."

Released 10-1-2018

GIVE HER MY BEST

This is one of the few songs I wrote with the late, great Ronny Scaife (do a Google search about his career and songwriting success). He was still riding high from his megahit duet 'The Whiskey Ain't Working Anymore' for Travis Tritt and Marty Stuart. 

We pulled out an old Rand McNally atlas to get the county name of Austin, Texas (TRAVIS....of all names)...this was from the 90s era and were both staff writers at PolyGram on the legendary 'Music Row' where we had adjoining offices. 

The song idea came from the office but we actually wrote it on his very remote homestead near Linden,TN in the middle of nowhere.... (I had to drive through 2 small creeks on the 2 mile driveway). 

We wanted to write something for George Strait, Garth Brooks and the few who still recorded songs about being a 'cowboy rider' in today's landscape. We knew the only way that women would identify with it, we needed a backstory that includes the secret ingredient..... "Love" or at least 'longing for' and 'missing someone'.

RUSTY  ON LOVE

The theme of love forms the foundation of some of Rusty's most delightful witticisms and funniest sayings: 

  • Relationship tip: Be with someone who can cook. Looks fade, hunger does not. 
  • To all my single guy friends: If you're 50+ , it's time to leave them young girls alone and get you a mature woman who knows the signs of a stroke. 
  • God made man from the dust of the Earth, but woman He made from man's rib. So....man is but dirt and women are Prime Rib. 
  • You're never alone on Valentine's Day if you're near a lake and have bread.
  • "Make yourself known, woman!" (Rusty on his search for Miss Right)

Love lyrics in Rusty's songs often reflect phrasing similar to Rusty's excellent observations and heartfelt advice about love that he occasionally shares:

  • May you find a love that reciprocates, reflects, and realizes all that you give, do and are.
  • Know the difference between those who stay to feed the soil and those who come to grab the fruit.
  • You are better off alone than being with someone who makes you feel alone. 
  • Never allow loneliness to drive you into the arms of someone you know you don't belong with.
  • Never wish them pain. That's not who you are. If they caused you pain, they must have pain inside. Wish them Healing.
  • There is no shame in wanting to be wanted.
  • Don't let anyone make you believe that love isn't cool.
  • Be with someone who would drive five hours just to see you for one.
  • Never ignore a person who loves you, cares for you, and misses you, because one day, you might wake up and realize you lost the moon while counting the stars.
  • Sometimes home isn't four walls, it's two eyes and heartbeat.
  • If you're not dating to marry, then you're dating for heartbreak.  Let that sink in.
  • I asked a billionaire how he did it.  He said: "Forget about the girls and focus on one woman. She'll help you achieve everything."
  • Keep it private until you know that it's permanent.
  • Never above, never below, never behind, always at your side kind of love. ❤️