Okay, I’ll be honest. 

Usually when I hear about athletes trying to play on the music field I

get this vision in my head of the Chicago Bears doing the “Superbowl

Shuffle.”  Ew.  Sorry, gotta shake off the memory.  So when I heard that former football player

Kyle Turley was taking the stage (and opening for a strong act like Hank IIII),

I smirked hoping this performance wasn’t going to be as painful as I was

anticipating.  But after the first couple

songs, someone should have called the field medic because Turley just knocked

the entire audience over in shock. 

Straight out of the block, Turley stomps out the claims of him being

branded pop-country.  Rightfully so.  Packed with attitude and plenty of power,

Turley and the band kept the rowdy crowd going. 

He is definitely not pop, but I wouldn’t call him completely country

either.  His sound leans more towards the

rebel rock side reminiscent of Hank Jr. 

Not bad company to keep.  Turley’s

got a strong voice and a great way with the crowd.  But lyrically, I wasn’t that impress.  Not to say that he isn’t a good musician, on

the contrary.  Visually on stage, he’s

got a good presence.  Musicwise, he’s

awesome.  His interaction with the

audience is fun and memorable.  And with

all these elements, I forget he’s an athlete… until he sings about it.  I understand songwriters get inspirations

from their own experiences and life, but this is a chance to see Turley in a

completely different light.  Just in my

opinion, leave the football on the field and just give the fans something they

won’t expect.  All in all, I’m glad he

proved me wrong.