“A child reminds us that playtime is an essential part of our daily routine.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“It’s time to PLAY!”  - Brady Seals

More than 20 years after rebelling against Nashville’s ubiquitous Stetson-Wrangler-and guitar formula, rising to the heights of country music fame as the long-haired Little Texas heartthrob on keys, Brady Seals continues to thrive on the edge of the genre, easing effortlessly into the role of the slightly subversive renegade who’s not afraid to say “ho” on country radio.  His latest solo effort, Play Time, is a no-holds-barred celebration of “long-legged, half-wasted” party girls, dance club debauchery, illicit smoke breaks and a certain prize-winning marijuana crop.  “There’s no question of this being a really adult record,” Seals says.  “It gets raunchy and raw.  But I’ve always wanted to make music that affects people.  Love it, hate it.  But you can’t ignore it.”

Neither can you ignore a talent as enduring as Seals, who has successfully reinvented himself throughout his career, while always remaining true to his musical roots in rock-tinged country. At 16, Seals left his home in Ohio as a touring musician, and by 21 had scored three #1 hits with Little Texas—all of which he’d co-written.  He went on to release three solo albums in the late 90’s before forming and fronting the quartet of player’s players known as Hot Apple Pie, with whom he scored a top 20 hit (“Hillbillies”). 

Ultimately, it was in writing “Eeny Meny Miny Moe” that Seals ultimately found the tone he’d been looking for and the direction he wanted to go with the new project.  Playing like a pick-up artist’s theme song, the track is as whimsical as it is risqué.  Wondering whether anyone would actually take it seriously, Seals had the epiphany that led him down the path to Play Time.  “I just want to have some fun.  It’s time to play.” 

From selecting songs, to hiring musicians, to experimenting in a variety of Nashville studios, Seals reveled in his complete creative control.

Play Time features contributions from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch, pop icon Richard Marx and former bandmates Hot Apple Pie.

With the album complete, Seals began preparing to independently release Play Time online when StarCity Recording Company entered the picture.  Upon meeting, Seals sensed an instant connection with the StarCity team, who promised him a level of creative control that he’d never before experienced with a label.  “I was thrilled,” Seals explains, “to hear from this boutique indie label that wanted to release my album exactly as I had hoped to on my own.” 

With remarkable resilience, Seals has proven his continued relevance since the Little Texas era, throughout his solo career and stint with Hot Apple Pie.  The secret to his longevity, perhaps, is that Seals creates music to satisfy his own soul first, with undying faith in the “if you build it, they will come” philosophy.  “I’m really only interested in having a damn good time,” Seals declares, “not being so serious all the time, and not playing anybody else’s game but your own.”