Why The Worry Seth Walker

• 1 The Same Love That Made Me Laugh 04:26
• 2 Why The Worry 03:42
• 3 Up On The Mountain 03:14
• 4 I'm Getting Ready 02:59
• 5 Take Me To The River 04:14
• 6 Supernatural Thing 03:08
• 7 Hey Baby 02:52
• 8 Midway Girl 03:20
• 9 Somewhere Out There 02:38
• 10 Magnolia 03:56
• 11 I Must Be In A Good Place Now 03:03
• Total Runtime 37:32

Info zu Why The Worry

In the midst of recording his 12th album, wavering in his resolve to finish what he’d started, Seth Walker came to a realization. “This work does not define me. This is not who I am forever. This is just a moment.” No album is trapped in amber, no song is set in stone. Distance colors compositions over the years and each album is left as a reflection of its own period in time. This idea played a big part in shaping Why The Worry. Now, the other half of knowing is letting go; letting go of the worry about perception, the worry of over-preparation, and the worry that seeps in constantly from the news and noise of everyday life. Taking a page from Willie Nelson, Walker embraced the songwriter’s sage wisdom, “I’ve never seen worry accomplish anything… so I decided not to do it.” Truth be told, there aren’t many better oracles to hang an ethos on than brother Willie.

The new album finds Walker reunited with old friends and familiar names. Once again Jano Rix steps behind the boards, co-producing the album with Seth and engineer Brook Sutton. In the producer’s fifth outing he’s become an invaluable sounding board, the kind who knows what's missing and, just as importantly, what needs to be taken away. Oliver Wood (The Wood Brothers) lends a pen to the title track, and Seth’s classically trained father Scott adds strings to “I’m Getting Ready,” a song penned by Walker’s contemporary Michael Kiwanuka. Mostly, though, the record was shepherded into shape by Walker’s trio, rounded out by longtime confidants Rhees Williams (Guitar, Piano) and Mark Raudabaugh (Drums). The three let the studio guide them, entering without agenda, set straight by the title’s mantra to stop worrying where they’d end up.

But worry always tries to creep in. It’s inevitable, isn’t it? The album was just about finished when Hurricane Helene hit Walker’s region in the mountains around Asheville, and as a result, the record almost didn’t see light. As catastrophe took shape and literal bridges were broken, the album’s importance wavered in Seth’s mind until the central theme came back into view. The worry wouldn’t undo any damage, and there was still service in song. There’s a telling nod in the album closing with Bobby Charles’ seminal ode “I Must Be In a Good Place Now.” Why The Worry is a spiritual reset, watching the sunrise over the mountains. It soaks in like warmth on the skin after a night of shivering in the dark.

Charles isn’t the only notable scribe among the track list, an even mix of Walker’s originals and a carefully curated crop of covers that rifle through the past and present. Setting the course are two gems from JJ Cale, whose sanguine saunter leans well into the album’s themes of amble and ease. Walker opens the album with the smoke ring sway of Bill Withers, turning the lights low for a gently funked rendition of “The Same Love That Made Me Laugh.” The groove grows deeper on Al Green’s “Take Me To The River,” putting a distinctly reclined feel on the soul classic. The breezy feeling extends to the originals as well, injecting a bit of Cale’s country funk into “Up On The Mountain,” soaking spring air and hope into “Supernatural Thing,” and melting nostalgia into meditation on “Midway Girl.”

Why The Worry follows a string of critically acclaimed albums from Walker, garnering praise from NPR to The Washington Post. He’s been found on the road with The Mavericks, The Wood Brothers, Raul Malo, Paul Thorn and Ruthie Foster among others. Most recently penned “Moon and Stars” - the title track to The Mavericks new album, sung as a duet with Sierra Ferrell.

Seth Walker, vocals, guitars
Rhees Williams, acoustic- and electric bass, piano, background vocals
Mark Raudabaugh Jr., drums, percussion
Jano Rix, drums, percussion, Rhodes, Hammond B3 Organ, synthesizers, piano, vibraphone, background vocals
Matt Glassmeyer, tenor- and baritone saxophone
Kelley Mickwee, background vocals
JP Ruggieri, slide guitar (track 7)
Steve Mackey, electric bass (track 10)
Brook Sutton, electric bass (track 6)

Recorded at The Studio Nashville
Engineered & Mixed by Brook Sutton
Mastered by Eric Conn, Independent Mastering
Produced by Jano Rix, Seth Walker & Brook Sutton

Seth Walker
is often cited as one of the most prolific contemporary Americana artists on the scene today. He’s a multi-dimensional talent who combines a gift for melody and lyric alongside a rich, Gospel-drenched, South-ern-inflected voice with a true-blue knack for getting around on the guitar. His most recent studio album, Are You Open, produced by Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers, and a string of singles, including “We Got This,” “Spir-its Moving” and a cover of Van Morrison’s classic “Warm Love” further build upon this reputation

Most recently, Walker added published author to his oeuvre with his first memoir, ‘Your Van Is On rsZ Fire.’ A riotous and charming mélange of a touring musician’s life, the book is comprised of many short essays, poems, and paintings he’d accumulated over a near 30-year career. Written during the 2020 lockdown, Walker offers a firsthand account of an artist in perpetual motion who’s dedicated his life to chasing the muse wherever it may lead

Growing up on a commune in rural North Carolina, the son of classically trained musicians, Seth Walker played cello long before discovering the guitar in his 20s. When his introduction to the blues came via his Uncle Lan-don Walker, who was both a musician and disc jockey, his fate was forever sealed. Instantaneously, Seth was looking to artists like T-Bone Walker, Snooks Eaglin, and B.B. King as a wellspring of endless inspiration. The rest is history. He’s released ten albums, broken into the Top 20 of the Americana Radio Charts, reached No. 2 on the Billboard Blues Album Chart and received praise from NPR, American Songwriter, No Depression and Relix, among others

In addition to extensive recording and songwriting pursuits, Seth is consistently touring and performing at venues and festivals around the world. Along with headline shows, he’s been invited to open for The Maver-icks, The Wood Brothers, Raul Malo, Paul Thorn and Ruthie Foster, among others

Seth Walker is currently based in Asheville, NC after previously residing in Austin, New Orleans, and Nashville. He’s used those experiences wisely, soaking up the sounds and absorbing the musical lineage of these varied places. With a bluesman’s respect for roots and tradition, coupled with an appreciation for—and successful melding of—contemporary songwriting, Seth sublimely incorporates a range of styles with warmth and grace. Perhaps Country Standard Time said it best: “If you subscribe to the Big Tent theory of Americana, then Seth Walker –with his blend of blues, gospel, pop, R&B, rock, and a dash country—just might be your poster boy.”

Dieses Album enthält kein Booklet