—
Buy it on Amazon.
A Josh Ritter CD. Produced by Jason Isbell. With the 400 Unit as the recording band.
If these names mean anything to you, this is terrific news.
If these names are unfamiliar, you must be new to Butler. I’ve written about Josh Ritter here and here and here and here and here, and a few more times I’m not going to link to. For me, he does it all: writes lyrics that never get stale, makes music that stays in your head, and is effervescent on stage. [For tour information, click here.] When it comes to music that is made by a literate white man who plays with guitars and a band, Josh Ritter is the gold standard. [The “Fever Breaks” CD will be released on April 26. To pre-order it from Amazon, click here. For the MP3 download, click here.]
And Jason Isbell? He’s the runner-up. I’ve written about him here and here. I see him in concert every time he’s in town.
Enough typing. Let’s start with a 30-second sample of the first single from Josh’s CD, “Old Black Magic.”
This is not charming, singer-songwriter fare. It’s propulsive, attention-getting music, with a killer solo at the end from Isbell’s guitar player. And the lyrics! Ritter has said the songs “are very reflective of the times in which they were written.” No kidding!
True love to true love
And rust to rust
I let the others cast stones
While I drew in the dust
I tried to be a good man
Something changes in the wind
I got that old black magic rolling in
Wave upon wave now
Here come the dreams
And I can’t see the lighthouse
And the lighthouse can’t scream
Don’t you know I need you so bad
Tell me where the hell you been
I got that old black magic rolling in
Rolling rolling rolling rolling in
I can’t sleep for crying
I’m crying all the time
Everybody’s got an angel
I got mine
Wings of a crow
Overshadowin’
I got that old black magic rolling in
Rolling rolling rolling rolling in
I know the way it goes down
It’s all in my head
I feel it rising
From its unmarked bed
Sure not the devil
Sure not his friend
But I know for sure
What’s rolling in
You never asked for fire
You already were a thief
So I knew you’d be with me
When I need you to be
Steal my soul honey
Keep it for me when
I got that old black magic rolling in
Rolling rolling rolling rolling in
There was a time I knew ya
You knew me
There was nothing in between us
Far as we could see
Don’t you know I need my true love
My truest friend
I got that old black magic rolling in..
You’ve read this far, you deserve the whole song. Tell me that lines from it and a riff or three won’t haunt you.
BONUS SONG FROM “FEVER BREAKS”
—
This article originally appeared on The Head Butler.
If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project, please join like-minded individuals in The Good Men Project Premium Community.
◊♦◊
◊♦◊
Get the best stories from The Good Men Project delivered straight to your inbox, here.
◊♦◊
◊♦◊
Sign up for our Writing Prompts email to receive writing inspiration in your inbox twice per week.
Photo: Shutterstock
