Joey Feek, ‘Strong Enough to Cry’ [Exclusive Premiere]
Thirteen months after Joey Feek succumbed to her battle with cancer, her solo album, If Not For You, is set for release. In advance of the album's debut, The Boot is premiering the track “Strong Enough to Cry” exclusively for its readers.
Feek originally recorded If Not for You in 2005, but the record was only available via her husband Rory Feek’s online store and at live shows that the Feeks performed as Joey + Rory. After an appearance on CMT’s Can You Duet, Joey and Rory Feek officially began recording together, releasing three albums on Sugar Hill Records, as well as another four projects as a duo. If Not for You is Joey Feek’s only known solo album, one that vividly demonstrates her incomparable voice and musical prowess.
"Strong Enough to Cry" -- the original title track of Feek's solo album -- is, Rory Feek says, an expression of both his and his late wife's views on how to make it through difficult times.
“I am not afraid to laugh, and I’ve done my best to make my bride find a smile when times were difficult,” writes Rory Feek in If Not for You's album notes. “That being said, I’m also not afraid to cry in front of her, or anyone else. I’ve learned that, sometimes, it’s our weakness that truly makes us strong. Joey didn’t just want a rock to lean on — she wanted to be a rock for her man when he needed it, too.”
Due out via the Gaither Music Group, If Not for You was produced by Rory Feek and Bill McDermott. The disc contains 12 songs, including a tribute to Joey Feek’s brother Justin (“See You There”) and the original version of “That’s Important to Me,” a charting single (No. 51) for Joey + Rory in 2010.
If Not For You is set for release on April 7.
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