New York, NY (Top40 Charts) On April 21, Jason Eady returns with his first album in more than three years in partnership with Thirty Tigers. The self-titled release marks his sixth full-length effort and finds the Mississippi-bred singer/guitarist merging his distinct sensibilities into a stripped-down, roots-oriented sound that starkly showcases the gritty elegance of his songwriting.
Today, NPR
Music premiered "Barabbas," the second song to be released from the forthcoming album.
Listen to "Barabbas" here:
https://www.npr.org/2017/02/23/515422576/songs-we-love-jason-eady-barabbas
Jason Eady is now available for pre-order via his website and iTunes.
Rolling Stone Country previously shared "Why I Left Atlanta," the first single to be released from the forthcoming album. Robert Crawford called the self-titled release "...an acoustic-heavy album that makes room for electricity, eclecticism and guest appearances, with Eady serving as the master of ceremonies."
Eady's S/T release is the follow up to 2014's critically praised Daylight/Dark — an album that "belongs on a shelf next to Dwight Yoakam's Buenos Noches from a Lonely Room, Joe Ely's Letter to Laredo, and yes, even Willie Nelson's Phases and Stages," according to AllMusic—Eady's latest finds the Fort Worth, Texas-based artist again teaming up with producer
Kevin Welch. Now longtime collaborators (with their past efforts including 2012's AM Country Heaven, a top 40 debut on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart), Eady and Welch worked closely in crafting the album's acoustic-driven yet lushly textured aesthetic.
"At the beginning I told everyone I wanted to make a record where, if the power went out, we could still sit down and play all the songs the exact same way," says Eady, who points out that steel guitar is the only electric instrument featured on the album.
Despite its subtle approach, the album radiates a warm vitality that's got much to do with Eady's gift for nuanced yet unaffected slice-of-life storytelling.
"I've always been drawn to writing that's got a simplicity to it, where you're digging deep into real day-to-day life," he notes. Here, that means touching on such matters as turning 40 (on the reflective, soul-stirring "40 Years"), his daughter's growing up and going off to college (on the sweetly heartbreaking "Not Too Loud"), and the everyday struggle to "embrace the messy parts of life instead of trying to get the point where you've somehow fixed all your problems" (on "Rain," a joyfully determined anthem featuring SteelDrivers fiddler Tammy Rogers). Throughout the album, Eady's soulfully rugged voice blends in beautiful harmonies with his wife, singer/songwriter Courtney Patton. And on "No Genie in This Bottle," the legendary
Vince Gill adds harmony vocals alongside Eady.
"When you first get started making music, your ideas are grandiose and more about the big picture. But the longer I've done this, the more I've realized that the real joy comes from the process rather than the end goal," he says. "Now it's about getting better and finding more of myself with every album. So instead of writing what I think people want to hear, I'm writing what I want to write and trusting that—as long as it's coming from an honest place—it'll hopefully mean something to the people listening too."
Jason Eady will tour in support of the new album in the coming months. Find a full list of tour dates below and at www.jasoneady.com.
Tour Dates:
2/25: Austin, TX - Yeti Flagship
2/28: Wichita Falls, TX - 9th Street Studios w/ Courtney Patton
3/5: Fort Worth, TX - Live Oak
Music Hall w/ Courtney Patton & Ben Danaher
3/9: Kansas City, MO - Knuckleheads Saloon
3/10: Waterloo, NE - Bucks Bar & Grill w/ Courtney Patton
3/11: Dallas, TX - Poor David's Pub w/ Walt Wilkins & Max Stalling
3/25: Greenville, TX - Greenville Municipal Auditorium w/ Neal McCoy
3/26: The Woodlands, TX - Dosey Do w/ Courtney Patton & Drew Kennedy
4/4: Galway, Ireland - The Loft at
Seven Bridge Street
4/5: Clifden, Ireland - Griffin's Bar
4/7: Lahinch, Ireland - Kenny's Bar
4/14: Austin, TX - The Saxon Pub
4/15: Galveston, TX - Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe
4/18:
Little Rock, AR - The White Water Tavern
4/19: Nashville, TN - The Family Wash/Garage Coffee
4/20: Memphis, TN - Growlers
4/21: Oklahoma City, OK - The Blue Door
4/26: San Antonio, TX - Sam's Burger Joint
4/27: Houston, TX - McGonigel's Mucky Duck
4/28: Fredericksburg, TX - Luckenbach Dance Hall
5/6: New Braunfels, TX - Wein and Saengerfest
5/7: Fort Worth, TX - Live Oak
Music Hall
5/27: Vicenza, Italy - Country Road Clubhouse w/ Courtney Patton
6/17: Aubrey, TX -
Aubrey Festival Grounds
6/24: Filer, ID - HWY 30
Music Fest
Tracklist:
1) Barabbas
2) Drive
3)
Black Jesus
4) No Genie in This Bottle
5) Why I Left Atlanta
6) Rain
7) Where I've Been
8) Waiting to Shine
9) Not Too Loud
10) 40 Years
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www.jasoneady.com