RAY FULCHER - Two Cigars - Larkin Hill Records

As a songwriter, Ray Fulcher hit a monumental stride alongside Luke Combs, co-penning several of his biggest hits including “Does to Me,” “Even Though I'm Leaving,” “Going, Going, Gone,” “Love You Anyway,” “Lovin' on You,” and “When It Rains It Pours.”

However, tucked underneath his success as a songwriter, Fulcher has also laid strong foundational steps of his artist career with millions of streams on his own singles, “Girl In It,” “Anything Like You Dance,” “All Gas No Breaks,” and “After The Rain.”

This past Friday (10/24/24) saw both aspects of Fulcher’s career combine when Trey Lewis put out “Scared To Death of Dallas” and Jordan Davis teased his forthcoming album with “Know You Like That,” while Ray himself released his own single, “Two Cigars.”

“A real special one came out today. For a lot of reasons, this is one of, if not my favorite song I’ve ever released. I hope to do “Big House”‘s memory justice and I hope it serves as a reminder of some of your people already in heaven,” shared Fulcher on his social media about the touching tribute to his fallen sidekick.

Co-written with Jordan Rowe and Ben Brandenburg, this is a songwriter’s song in that it pulls you deeper into the emotions of the ultra-personal story, though craftily written to connect universally with the listener as it holds them tightly into each next line, making them listen intently while tugging on heartstrings as it falls into the chorus.

Through emotionally drifted strides, his voice grafts a melody that balances the rollercoaster flutters of each vivid memory as he relives buying two National Championship celebratory cigars and booking a hotel room in Indy for the championship game way back during the college football pre-season when his friend said -  just like he always had - “this might be the team.”

Though nonchalantly laughing off his friends claim of the Georgia Bulldogs winning it all, just after his friends untimely passing that’s exactly what they went and did…two years in a row! Invoking bittersweet memories that presented an internal battle between wanting to be excited with the heartbreak of not being able to celebrate together the way they had planned.

“There were tears and confetti falling down like rain

It was hard for me to imagine you in a better place

So, I pulled out the whiskey and poured one out for you

But only lighting up one Don Pablo was just something I couldn’t do

Yeah, the Dawgs finally won it all and you saw it all from where you are

Cause you got your two wings and I still got two cigars”

Drawn to resonate with anyone who has experienced the loss of someone close to them, the unofficial teammate who wore the same logo on their T-shirt while cheering on the team, Fulcher expertly taps snapshot memories of what once was with the heart tugged reality of what it is to be without them by your side on a football Saturday; but more so, walking through the everyday ups and downs without their shoulder to lean on between the goal lines of life.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)