DAVID NEWBOULD – SIN & REDEMPTION – ONE OF *THE* ALBUMS OF 2019 AND ONE YOU NEED TO HEAR!
If not THE album of 2019, then David Newbould’s Sin & Redemption was certainly in the top 10. Newbould has just dropped another video single from the album, ‘Long Road To Barstow’, a tale about a guy beaten down by his dreams who can’t seem to find a way out. Check it out below. If you are not hip to the sounds of Nashville based Newbould then you should be. Amongst a mountain of singer / songwriters out there, Newbould stands out for his authenticity, realism – and ability to write memorable tunes with a hook. Americana ? Perhaps, if you really need a category to identify the sound with. Yet that descriptor only scratches the surface.
Newbould has cut several albums, but came on our radar via his songwriting partnership with Dan Baird. In October, 2019, Newbould released Sin & Redemption via Rock Ridge Music, and it has been on ‘repeat’ on the car stereo now for several weeks. Man, I cannot sign the praises of the album enough. Top to bottom – this is something special. From the big sounding opener ‘Sensitive Heart’, to ‘Smiling In The Rain’ with its oversupply of harmony vocals and lifting chorus, this is one epic tune. In short, Sin & Redemption is a powerful, 10-song testament from a veteran songwriter at the height of his storytelling prowess, now eight albums deep into his upward-trending career.
You recall how Kristofferson, Tom T. Hall and Mickey Newbury brought broader musical influences to country music – as well as a frank, emotional depth to the music ? Newbould has that same quality. Over recent week’s I’ve been switching between Newbould’s Sin and Redemption and Newbury’s classic Frisco Mabel Joy LP. There is a subtle disparity in the music sure, but they both share a ton of soul when it comes to lyrics, themes and hitting at your very core. That’s the sign of a pretty damn good song writer in my opinion. Frankly, I hope that Newbould finds greater success with his music – for music this good almost demands that it’s heard by the masses. He has all the ingredients. Hooks aplenty, appealing voice, memorable sing-a-long chorus’, a penchant for melody, and a legitimacy that is, more often than not, lacking in roots country. Get on board. http://davidnewbould.com/