Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 05/23/2025
Nashville-based independent recording artist Rockin' Rich Lynch always knew the day would come when he would release a full-length album under his own name. It only took ten years and since all ten of the tracks on the record were recorded in Nashville, Tennessee - there couldn't be a more perfect name for the project than TENN Songs which dropped on May 21, 2025. Coincidentally, that date corresponds to the actual 10-year anniversary of Lynch's first stepping foot in Music City in 2015.
"They say Nashville is a ten-year town," Lynch confirmed, adding, "for me that adage holds true as the plane I took from New Jersey to the BNA touched down on the tarmac exactly one decade to the day of my debut album's release - so that is actually pretty strange and unforeseen."
What is known is that Lynch began pursuing his life-long dream of creating and releasing intriguing songs and meaningful music in New Jersey with the help of some amazing colleagues who helped light the fire within and pave the way for some bigger opportunities in the Volunteer State.
"Back home in New Jersey I recorded three tracks with the great producer Steve Brown (Ace Frehley, Trixter, Def Leppard)," Lynch recalled. "They turned out so good that it really put in motion our almost immediate transition to the Southern lifestyle by moving to Nashville in order to take advantage of all the great studios and production infrastructure that exits here.”
Lynch got to work fast writing songs and working with facilities who could help breathe life into his musical creations and soon the new geography was lending inspiration at every turn.
"My earliest friends in town joined the Black Snake encampment in North Dakota," Lynch remembered. "So, the first recording I made here was "You Can't Push Over a Standing Rock" that was written as an anthem for them that recalled the urgency of Neil Young's "Ohio" with a neat nod to The Doors over the course of its energetic and insightful three minutes and 22 seconds."
Nashville continued to be a source of inspiration through the years. The album's opener is "The Streets of Nashville" that Rockin' Rich put out to convey dismay at changes to the city's public parking system. "Vague to the Max" was written to remember a fallen Music City musician who sadly gave up his own pursuit of recognition after years of struggling for success. "Keep Swinging" emerged after a downtown singer-songwriter round ended with kind words of encouragement from a friendly female fan.
"TENN Songs" also features two of Lynch's best tracks to date that have received critical acclaim while drawing comparisons to acts that Lynch has claimed to be some of his own most vital musical influences.
"You Might Hear a Heart" was inspired by - and created as - a tribute to the great Tom Petty. The album's closer "Shootout at the Not Okay Corral" was drafted from the troubling events of recent years that found reviewer Jason Didner praising it for its Cheap Tricks meets classic Ozzy Osbourne.
The first printing of TENN Songs was conceived as an art project and fundraiser with the first several thousand copies now available in signed and numbered format directly from the artist's website. The digital version is currently for sale exclusively on Bandcamp.
Rich Lynch is a singer/songwriter who began his professional recording career in 2014 with "I Want to Live in a Dome". After releasing over 40 critically acclaimed digital singles to the online marketplace and he has finally officially released his debut album that collects the very best of his recording work in Nashville called "TENN Songs".
EVENT PREVIEWS
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Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul to Headline Concert at ParkStage on July 17th
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24 Hours of Music Jamboree Stretches from Jersey City to the Jersey Shore with a week's worth of live concerts
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New Jersey Symphony to Make Rowan's Marie Rader Series Debut with "Life & Liberty" on July 22nd
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