SONG PREMIERE: Kaleigh Baker – “What Would Tom Waits Do”

It’s difficult to put the young singer-songwriter Kaleigh Baker in a box, and why would you want to? Hailing from a small valley in Western New York, this rising artist has a powerfully dynamic voice that makes you wonder if it’s only a matter of time before she graduates from small clubs to massive festival stages. On her upcoming album Weary Hours, which comes out October 16th, Baker brings blues/rock attitude, jazz influence, and the mountain-soul she found in Appalachia all into the music. These influences may be best heard on the album’s first track “What Would Tom Waits Do”, and we are excited to offer an exclusive premiere of it right here at Glide Magazine. As one would imagine, the tune is something of an ode to the gravelly-voiced Waits, as well as a testament to the kind of rowdiness that can come from a well-imbibed barroom.

“It is strange to think about the correlation between what I do and alcohol. The more I drink, the more the crowd drinks and the better my chances are of coming back. There are some days when I wake up believing that I’ve sold my soul to the beverage devil,” says Kaleigh Baker, reflecting on the song.

Then she answers the very question posed by its title: “What would Tom Waits do? He’d probably lift his face up off that cold bathroom floor and go write a great tune. Listen, this is a world full of excess and when you work in a business where you give music lovers something to hold on to, they’ll give you everything you can possibly fit in your empty pockets and it’s not always money. Hell, you can’t be in this for the money. The love is so damn gratifying, the rejection, crippling. There are many ways to deal with all of these highs and lows and writing a song about it is a bittersweet stab at closure. ”

So throw on a beat-up fedora, raise a glass, and give a warm listen to “What Would Tom Waits Do”…

Kaleigh Baker’s Weary Hours come out October 16. You can check out the tracklist as well as he upcoming tour dates below. For more info visit kaleighbaker.com.