New York, NY (Top40 Charts) YouTuber & musician RHETT JAMES MCLAUGHLIN-one-half of the comedy duo Rhett & Link from their popular daily show "Good Mythical Morning"—will release his debut solo country album HUMAN OVERBOARD this Friday,
September 23, To celebrate its release, RHETT has shared a new folk-driven single "Give A Damn" along with a whimsical music video animated by Micah Buzan (The Claypool Lennon Delirium, Red Hot
Chili Peppers).
"'Give a Damn' charts a bit of new sonic territory as compared to the first two singles, adding a folk rock vibe to the country mix," says RHETT. "Thematically, it's a confession of my evangelistic tendencies—my need to persuade—and how I don't particularly like that aspect of my personality. In a sense, it captures the conflict I have in releasing this music in the first place. I'm just trying to tell my story without the expectation that anyone should or would care, and that can be a hard thing for me, especially when I drink my own Kool-aid and believe I've got something important to say."
RHETT continues to share his inspiration for the "Give A Damn" music video stating: "For the music video, I knew I wanted to illustrate just how deep personal convictions-religious and otherwise-can be, to the point of making you feel like you're part of an army of special, chosen ones on a mission. Micah Buzan, an incredible animator known for the official music Video for 'Little Fishes' from The Claypool Lennon Delirium, as well as City of Venom from Mashed-along with help from Brittany Penn-brought my vision to life with his trademark style."
Born in Macon, GA and raised in North Carolina, RHETT grew up surrounded by the sounds of his father's musical heroes such as Merle Haggard,
George Jones,
Roy Orbison and
Elvis Presley whose classic melodies inspired him to begin writing his own music. On his debut album, HUMAN OVERBOARD, due
September 23, RHETT captures his reverence for the foundations of country music while paying ode to his youth. With impassioned and deeply personal lyrics, HUMAN OVERBOARD details RHETT's journey away from Christianity.
JAMES AND THE SHAME revealed the first taste of HUMAN OVERBOARD with the track "
Believe Me" on July 18 which delved into RHETT's spiritual deconstruction and the reaction he received after making the announcement publicly. For Folk's Sake (8/7) wrote about the song stating, "McLaughlin's pleading croon rings in the likes of
Alan Jackson and Darrell Scott, but instrumentally veers into territory reserved by
Lord Huron and Okkervil River. It's an eclectic mix of vintage country and folk-rock." Its lyric video, seen HERE has since garnered over 709k views. The second single, "Where We're Going," which features guest vocals from his wife,
Jessie McLaughlin, was premiered via PopMatters on August 17 who described the track as a hearty, romantic performance reminiscent of Americana this side of Drew & Ellie Holcomb" while stating "elements brought into production like melodic pedal steel and steady percussion set the song into a contemporary country-like soundscape."
Pre-save HUMAN OVERBOARD now at:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/jamesandtheshame/human-overboard
RHETT was seen over the past weekend at Beachlife Festival in Redondo Beach, CA making a surprise guest appearance alongside Shooter Jennings,
Lukas Nelson & Orville Peck as part of their tribute set for the late country icon
Waylon Jennings. He shares his experience, stating: "I was floored when Shooter asked me to be a part of the tribute. Finding out that he was a fan of my music was a surreal moment, and it became even more surreal when I found myself on stage singing one of my favorite
Waylon Jennings songs, 'Waymore's Blues,' for a huge crowd. I'll never forget it."
JAMES AND THE SHAME will make its debut performance at Mythicon 2022 in Austin, TX on October 28-30, for tickets and more information, visit: https://www.mythicontickets.com/#tickets.
