Read our review of Dave Cobb’s project Southern Family
Two-time Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb has put together and produced an enticing new compilation called Southern Family (Low Country Sound/Elektra Records).
The album features new recordings by a list of worthy performers – Zac Brown, Brandy Clark, Brent Cobb, Anderson East, Jason Isbell, Shooter Jennings, Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Rich Robinson, Morgane Stapleton with Chris Stapleton, John Paul White and Holly Williams.
Comprised of songs rooted in country, blues, folk and rock, the record is inspired by the post Civil War concept album White Mansions, written by British performer Paul Kennerley, produced by Glyn Johns and featuring musicians like Waylon Jennings and Eric Clapton.
Cobb comments:
…wouldn’t it be amazing to have all my friends on one record and really find a common thread? Southern Family, about their mothers, grandparents, kids, siblings, these detailed stories about how they grew up and their families and the things that make them who they are.” He adds, “This really encapsulates Nashville right now. There’s something to it. There’s something in the air. There’s a lot of great things about Nashville. There’s something here that doesn’t exist anywhere else in my lifetime. I’m sure this happened in London in the ‘60s and California in the ‘70s and maybe New York in the late ’50s or early ‘60s. But I think, right now, Nashville is the home of music.
It’s an exciting compilation with a group of the finest younger performers going around. As Cobb says above, Nashville is a very exciting place to be at the moment, as Big Country music and the music business hefty infrastructure has been joined by a powerful wave of Americana music and edgier fare as well, making for an exciting mix.
Key tracks for me are White’s melodic ‘Simple Song’, Isbell’s thoughtful ‘God Is A Working Man’, East’s fiery ‘Learning’, the belting version of ‘You Are My Sunshine’ by the Stapletons and Robinson’s ‘The Way Home’.
Cobb was recently recognized with two awards at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards – Best Country Album (Stapleton’s Traveller) and Best Americana Album (Isbell’s Something More Than Free). Previous awards include the 2015 CMA Award for Album of the Year (again, Stapleton’s Traveller) and the 2014 Americana Music Award for Album of the Year (Isbell’s Southeastern) as well as previous Grammy nominations in 2011 and 2007 for Best Country Album (Johnson’s The Guitar Song and That Lonesome Song).
Born in Savannah, GA and based in Nashville, Cobb has produced records for some of the most influential artists over the last few years, including critically acclaimed releases from Stapleton, Isbell, Anderson East, Sturgill Simpson, Johnson, Lindi Ortega, Shooter Jennings, A Thousand Horses, Houndmouth, HoneyHoney and Lake Street Dive. He is as hot as anyone in the studio. Now to add to his CV, he has been selected for the Americana Awards All-Star band led by Buddy Miller.
SOUTHERN FAMILY Track List
1. John Paul White “Simple Song”
2. Jason Isbell “God Is A Working Man”
3. Brent Cobb “Down Home”
4. Miranda Lambert “Sweet By and By”
5. Morgane Stapleton with Chris Stapleton “You Are My Sunshine”
6. Zac Brown “Grandma’s Garden”
7. Jamey Johnson “Mama’s Table”
8. Anderson East “Learning”
9. Holly Williams “Settle Down”
10. Brandy Clark “I Cried”
11. Shooter Jennings “Can You Come Over?”
12. Rich Robinson (featuring The Settles Connection) “The Way Home”
Read our review of Dave Cobb’s project Southern Family
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