About

It’s not always easy to tell what’s good for us these days – or honestly, where to turn next. But for BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville country artist Frank Ray, it’s not as hard as it used to be.

Blessed with a smooth country vocal, he’s a long road singer-songwriter who built his journeyman career on medicinal-strength performances, making the world a better, slightly-happier place, as he shifted with the times. But with a new understanding of his “duty,” the hit making former police officer has gone back to his roots. Back to country era defined by bright, uplifting sonics, and themes that make a spirit sing. Back to music that’s Good For The Soul.

“I just want to have a positive impact on people’s lives, and I want to do that by giving people good music – something to feel good about,” Ray explains. “People know me as the Latin-country guy. But I think this music gives them a peek behind the curtain.”

There’s plenty to discover. As a tumbleweed kid from the American Southwest, Ray grew up with an intense collision of cultures, bouncing between the border towns of Laredo, Texas and Columbus, New Mexico. Tim McGraw, Tracy Lawrence, Rascal Flatts, and George Strait blasted out of every speaker, but so did Tejano, Ranchera, and Norteño music – especially family favorites like Selena, Vicente Fernandez, and Bronco. Meanwhile, ‘90s pop and 2000s punk rock inspired Ray to start his first band. But country fed something deeper. “I’ve always had a foot in multiple worlds, but for some reason, I was drawn to country music,” he says. “That’s where the songwriter in me went to make my home, and it’s as natural as breathing.”

A detour came first. Inspired to serve, the singer-songwriter spent 10 years in uniform as a law enforcement officer in Las Cruces, New Mexico, deploying a warm smile and easy charisma in a close-knit community. He started a country band to perform self-written tunes on weekends, and they quickly became a local favorite. “I’d write tickets in the morning, and then at nighttime I’d go and play the honky tonk,” he says with a laugh. “It was really funny when I ran into people I had arrested. But I knew I was onto something good, because rather than try to kick my ass, they’d buy me a shot.”

Regular shows led to a win at a regional battle of the bands, where first prize was an opening gig for Keith Urban. And when Ray hit the arena stage, everything changed. He soon left the force to perfect a bright fusion of organic honky-tonk pop and smooth Latin twang.

Two Texas radio #1s “Drive” and “Just For A Minute” were the result, while the R&B-inflected “Country’d Look Good on You” reached the Top 20 of Billboard’s Country Airplay chart in 2022 – the same year Ray made his Grand Ole Opry debut. Also developing into a staff songwriter and family man, Ray’s good-time credentials were solidified on nationwide tours with Luke Combs, Kane Brown, Old Dominion, Luke Bryan, and more, as Rolling Stone, CMT, The Los Angeles Times, and NBC’s TODAY sang his praises.

TIME Magazine called Ray “one of the most influential Latinos,” and Good Morning America echoed the sentiment, listing the rising star among the “Latino country artists that are expanding the genre while honoring their roots.” A 2023 album debut played up his vibrant Tex-Mex flavor, and after landing on Country Radio Seminar’s coveted New Faces showcase that year, he was also named a Pandora Country and Amazon Music USA “Artist to Watch.” But on the new EP, Good For The Soul, Ray offers up a more holistic view.

With an energetic mix of spirit-lifting throwback energy, Good For The Soul is just what its title implies, and just what the doctor ordered for a changing world. Over five songs produced by Seth Mosley (including two co-writes), sunny honky-tonk tones from the ‘90s and 2000s combine with epic balladry and mood-boosting vocals, as Ray writes a prescription for the good life. His country roots are on full display – and so is his wealth of experience.

“This is the music that brought me to the dance, and reflects where I’m at in life,” Ray explains. “I’m in my late 30s and I’m happily married, and I’ve got three beautiful daughters. I know what’s important to me, and I just feel excited to share it with the world.

“This is all stuff I grew up on, the life I know and love,” he continues. “That’s the beautiful thing about this EP. It brings everything together in a big full-circle moment.”

All roads lead to the title track, “Good For The Soul (feat. Tracy Lawrence),” as Ray enlists one of his all-time heroes for a full-on ‘90s barn burner, dedicated to the essential elements of country joy. With a bounding beat and carefree vocal blend, it’s like sonic Prozac. “This is the most country, twangy kind of song there is,” Ray says. “And it features one of the most iconic voices in country music!”

Meanwhile, “Third Row George Strait” pairs an unmistakable hook with a clever tale of love-at-first-riff – both courtesy of the King of Country. Full of heart-thumping nostalgia and led by a rich, doubled vocal, the romantic anthem tracks a couple who fell in love at a George Strait concert. But Ray hopes fans will see their own story. “I fell in love with my person over nachos and a pitcher of Peach Wheat beer – and I have the receipt to prove it,” he admits. “Whatever your ‘Third Row George Strait’ is, that’s what I want you to remember.”

“One Way to Do It” matches a driving rhythm and sleek melodic curves for a high horsepower, dead-end breakup banger. And two songs from Ray’s own pen reveal what’s truly good for the soul.

Co-written with Trannie Anderson, Mosley, and Jordan Walker, the moving “Hard to Be a Hero” was written in solidarity with those who choose to serve – first responders, soldiers, and even the ministry. With a soaring vocal and a sweep of symphonic country courage, Ray wields deep empathy in salute of those who stand for something beyond themselves, and pay the invisible price.

“I can speak from the heart because I have 10 years of experience in that world,” he explains. “A mission of mine through my FRAY organization has always been mental health, especially for these men and women who do the job. It’s such a stigmatized thing and nobody ever wants to show vulnerability. But we need to talk about this.”

Likewise, “Lookin’ Out for Me” captures Ray’s hard-earned sense of inner peace. Featuring a comforting roots-pop blend, the track was co-written by Ray with Mosley and Joybeth Taylor as a higher-power ballad with a reverent-romantic twist, all about seeing God’s work in the people we love. Yet it also documents his return to faith. Ray didn’t see that coming, but now says it was the moment he felt “everything start to fall into place” for this new chapter.

After a life defined by serving both his community and fans, what’s Good For The Soul is getting clearer by the day.

“My goal has always just been to tell stories and to be able to have an impact in someone’s life,” Ray says. “It’s just being able to put some good music out of the world, with a good message. And I intend to feel good doing it.”