Jelly Roll Admits Spiritual Hypocrisy in Gritty ‘Need a Favor’ [Listen]
Jelly Roll's latest song is a familiar one for anyone who hasn't folded their hands and bowed their head in a while. "Need a Favor" tells the story of man on the verge of losing the love of his life. With nowhere else to turn, he looks to God to do him a favor, even if he doesn't deserve it.
"I only talk to God when I need a favor / And I only pray when I ain't got a prayer / So, who the hell am I, who the hell am I / To expect a Savior o-o-oh / If I only talk to God when I need a favor / But God I need a favor / Amen... Amen," he sings in the chorus.
The track is another prime example of Jelly Roll's earnest storytelling and humility. Like his previous single, "Son of a Sinner," we find a man in a moment of vulnerability finally coming face to face with his faults.
"I know Amazing Grace, but I ain't been livin' them words / Swear I spend more Sundays, drunk off my ass, than I have in church / Hard cover King James only been savin' dust on the nightstand / And I don't know what to say by the time I fold my hands," he sings in the first verse.
"Need a Favor" sits on a gritty rock melody. Both sonically and lyrically, the song feels like a prime track for the soundtrack of an upcoming Yellowstone episode. It's a different sound for mainstream country, but one Jelly Roll hopes will continue to leave its mark on the genre.
"They were in need of some country that wasn't, you know, truck-driven or hunting-driven, you know what I mean?" he tells Taste of Country. "Nothing against those two things, those are my favorite songs. I enjoy both. But I think I brought that to the table too. It was, 'OK, we know we're going to get a little something left of center from Jelly.'"
His honesty looks to be catching fire. It's been a monster of a year for Jelly Roll, topped off with the success of his first single to country radio, "Son of a Sinner." Jelly Roll has also been an open book when it comes to his troubled past, in and out of correctional facilities dating back to his teenage years. Music is what turned his life around, and it's the reason he's giving back to kids just like him.
"I knew that I wanted to give back whenever I was in a situation to, and I always knew I wanted to make it really personal," he shared on the People Every Day podcast. "So, I went back to the same juvenile that I started doing music at. I wrote some of my first raps there, had my first big rap battle there."
"It's important, man," he adds. "I think it's important that we give back, especially to our kids. Man, our youth are so impressionable, and the old quote goes, 'None of them asked to be here.'"