There's a sense of urgency in the latest song, Life's about People, by country artist Todd Richard.
"Life's about people/ not material things/ It's not about fast cars or diamond rings/
"It's about making a difference/ it's lending a hand/ it's having compassion for your fellow man."
Harrison resident Todd Richard is "psyched" to unveil his debut video for the song on Jan. 21 at Corky's Irish Pub in Chilliwack.
CMT is currently considering the catchy tune for rotation, and Richard and the whole TR team have their fingers crossed that the song will get national air play on the country music station.
If there's any urgency in the song, released on iTunes Monday, it's of the smack-on-the-forehead variety.
The rousing, hook-filled Life's about People is from the Journey On CD, with seven songs co-written with country star Rick Tippe.
The song hits the listener on an emotional level, with the realization that the only thing that really matters is the ability to love and show compassion.
"The line, 'life's about people,' just stuck in my head, when we were writing songs for the album and Rick threw that one out at me," Richard remembers.
"We both related it to that moment at the stop light when you look over at the guy holding a sign, and you could just brush it off, but you suddenly realize he's somebody's son.
"When we finished writing it, we knew we had something," he says.
Whenever they played it for anyone, they were urged to put it on the album.
Hamilton-born Richard first broke out on the Canadian country scene about five years ago, appearing on CMT Canada's Karaoke Star contest, making it all the way to the finals.
The singer with a distinctive look and vocals, caught the music career bug and has been plugging away at it ever since.
He met fellow B.C. songwriter and country performer Rick Tippe at the CCMAs, and they decided to collaborate creatively. Richard headed to Nashville last year to record the album, Journey On.
It was recorded in Nashville by producer Bart McKay with a star-studded cast of top session players. They laid down tracks at Ocean Way Studios, home to an impressive array of artists from Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and Toby Keith, to Cheryl Crow and Avril Lavigne.
Now Richard is planning an excellent night of entertainment at the party at Corky's Saturday in Chilliwack.
The show will include special guests Kerry Krahn, the Trevor Murray Band, followed by Todd Richard & the TR Band, who will get busy countryrockin' the place.
The highlight will be the special advanced viewing of Richard's video for Life's about People, shot in Nevada last fall.
Richard said the video crew, from Capital C productions out of LA with Mark Maryonovitch, drove to remote spots outside Las Vegas with evocative sounding names like Fire Rock and Red Rock Canyon to shoot video footage for the anthemic song.
"It looked amazing. There's this one scene where I'm walking down a road and the background looks so incredible behind me, it almost looks fake."
The video will be shown on Corky's massive screen and there are door prizes, draws and a silent auction.
Todd Richard's video release party, at at Corky's Irish Pub on Jan. 21, doors open at 6 with the show at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $20 (incl. burger & beer), at Corky's 604-795-2331, or by calling 604-791-8377.