Jarrod Dickenson talks new album ahead of Birmingham and Shrewsbury shows
Texas-born, Brooklyn resident Jarrod Dickenson releases his new album Ready The Horses next month.
Storytelling is something of a Texas tradition. Tall hats and even taller tales are woven into the fabric of The Lone Star State and Dickenson can spin a yarn with the best of them.
He will display his talents through the new material when he tethers his horse at Birmingham's Glee Club on Sunday, March 26, before another date at Shrewsbury's Henry Tudor House the next day – the final two dates of his UK tour.
Raising eyebrows in the UK's singer-songwriter scene, Dickenson's first exposure to UK audiences came in 2013 when he supported David Ford for 15 UK dates.
He followed this up with a successful headline UK tour – including a sold out London date – further support slots with legendary artists Bonnie Raitt, Don McLean and The Waterboys and breakout performances at Glastonbury and the Larmer Tree Festival.
It was at this point that the accolades started flying in from BBC radio hosts, including Dermot O'Leary, former Catatonia vocalist Cerys Matthews, Huey Morgan, Janice Long, Robert Elms and Alex Lester. Matthews described his creations as brilliant songs.
This is album number two for the sharp dressing and soulful pickin' singer-guitarist who serves up slices of country blues hotter than Texas Toast, while still being able to calm the waters of the Rio Grande on heart-wrenching acoustic numbers familiar to fans of his first full-length.
A spokesman for the singer said: "Jarrod embodies the originality and style of a bygone era with vintage dress hats and traditional southern sensibilities.
"The laid back writing found throughout Ready The Horses is reminiscent of Gram Parsons, and Jarrod's vocal flair could best be described as a young Johnny Cash, or Tom Waits before all the smokes and bourbon. Genuine country albums are not complete without tales of cowboys and corporate greed and Jarrod is a hand at depicting the struggles of the working man. All the while, he also proves his versatility as a writer by using his own colourful narrative as a backdrop to pen intimate ballads detailing the pitfalls of love and the constant struggle to be the best version of one's self."
Discussing recording the LP, the singer said: "Recording to tape produces a much warmer sound and the reels we worked with happened to have been previously used by Paul McCartney and Roger Daltrey. If you think about it, in a roundabout way, I managed to get them to sing on my record."
Cutting his teeth for 10 years on the Texas and Nashville circuit, Dickenson has supported The Stylistics and Jools Holland on UK tours. This headline slot will hopefully push him further into the mainstream as a great of modern country.
