For after the unsuccessful beginning of their career in 2019, King Calaway took a step back to reorient themselves. The release of their EP "Midnight" with 4 new songs in the fall of 2021 indicated where things should go musically from here: more country and rock instead of boy band sound!
Consequently the year 2022 was characterized by working on a new project and
getting the first few songs from it pre-released to the public. "A lot of them were written over Zoom," said Gibraltar native Simon Dumas in an interview with
forbes.com. "I was actually stuck in the UK writing with people here in the states."
That's when Zac Brown entered the stage. He had stumbled upon the band's music by chance and began working with them. The first result of this collaboration was released in June of 2022: the rueful, bluegrass-tinged ballad 'When I Get Home', on which Zac Brown (alongside Jonathan Singleton and Ben Simonetti) not only contributed as a songwriter, but also took over song production.
The follow-up release in the fall of 2021 was the rocking uptempo 'I'm Feelin' Good (Steve Miller Band)', dedicated to the Steve Miller Band and again produced by Zac Brown. "I've seen him multiple times and he still kicks it," said King Calaway's Chad Michael Jervis via americansongwriter.com, referring to Steve Miller.
"He’s had such a big influence for his time. When we first heard ‘I’m Feelin’ Good’ when it was pitched to us, I immediately was just like, ‘Yeah!’ because I can relate." After all the song contains a reference to the Number 1 hit by the Steve Miller Band from 1976: 'Rock'n'Me'.
only place I wanna be is right where I am,
rockin' my baby with a drink in my hands,
to "Rock'n Me,' baby, Steve Miller band.
However hopes for a chart entry were not fulfilled. So it took almost 9 months
until follow-up track 'Tennessee's Waiting' was released in June of 2023. It is a song written and produced by the band
themselves about exhausting life on the road and the re-energizing thoughts of
Tennessee, which by now has become home for the band. Consequently it became
the perfect title for the upcoming new studio album to be released on
August 4, 2023.
she takes me back with open arms.
My guiding light when it's gettin' dark,
when I'm gone too long and the road starts to change me,
Tennessee's waiting.
At 16 tracks, it's officially King Calaway's second full length studio album, but it's more of a foundation for a new beginning. Not only has the band's sound changed, but also its formation: today there are only 4 members left of the original 6-piece formation. And that foursome has submitted a versatile project, 7 songs of which were produced by Zac Brown.
Among them the song 'Let It Flow', on which Hailey Whitters shines with her clear voice as a duet partner. It brims with happy memories of a summer love, ready-made for country radio: Nothing better to do but fall in love and watch the old river flow.
The 3-part harmonies of the band convey Eagles-vibes on the longing 'California Gold', while the rocking pulsating 'High Cost of Loving You', written by Brandy Clark and Jaren Johnston (of The Cadillac Three) suffers from an unhappy love.
The mid-tempo 'Denim Jacket', again produced by Zac Brown, admits to the one thing not affected by a breakup, while the pleading 'Ease My Troubled Mind' is as convincing as it gets with its slow shimmering blues.
'The Other Half' tries to convey the tornness after a breakup and 'When I Call Your Name' is indeed a cover version of Vince Gill's well-known hit from 1990,
which focuses on steel guitar, fiddle and the 3-part harmonies of the band.
"We had Paul Franklin, who actually played steel guitar on the original,
come in and play on ours,"
Simon Dumas proudly points out.
"He didn’t want to do it the same way as the original, so he also put a
different touch on it."
Still their version does not really add anything new to the original.
The project's standout track comes in as the penultimate one and is titled 'Heathens'. "We wrote that song just a day or two before going into the studio and we showed it to Zac [Brown]," Chad Michael Jervis said about the song's creation. "He loved it and wanted to cut it immediately."
That's when they started experimenting with it. "It was like okay, let’s add some organ, let’s add some background singers," he added, describing the further process. "And then Zac randomly said, ‘Marcus King would sound incredible on this.’ We were like, yeah, absolutely!"
The result is an almost 6-minute, epic piece of gospel blues, which gets its climax through Marcus King's guitar work. With it King Calaway goes a little astray, however these directions are still part of the roots of the genre after all.
The album finds its conclusion with the thoughtful 'The Dash', which offers a
fresh perspective on realising life. A finding one should become aware of,
before the dash shows up on their tombstone. Because,
and they plant that rock above my bones,
I won't give a damn about the dates.
It ain't the day that I was born
or the day that I passed.
It's all the living I did in the dash.
With 'Tennessee's Waiting' the now quartet King Calaway offers a varied album which has all the makings of a new beginning. Even though Tennessee may not quite know yet, that it has been waiting for it a little too long already.
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