The raspy and soulful voice of Tom Rhodes has been likened to that of Ray LaMontagne or a young Van Morrison, and there’s a good reason for that. The Bay Area singer-songwriter has been quietly forging his own musical path for a handful of years now with a memorable voice and thoughtfully written songs that are as honest as they are poetic. On July 15th Rhodes will release his fifth full-length Who You Were. Much of the material on the album was inspired by the passing of Rhodes’ father – also a storyteller – in late 2015.
To Rhodes, Who You Were feels like a torch being passed, from one storyteller to another: “These stories aren’t just learned from my dad, but this is me taking on that role as he passed away and sort of left that role…This is the conversation I would want to have with my kid. I wanted to write about the things that a father tells a son or daughter.”
That conversation begins with the first track on album, “Crumbling Road”, which you can hear exclusively on Glide Magazine today. The song has a reflective, ponderous quality as Rhodes encourages a younger man to pick himself up after experiencing heartbreak. Rhodes’ vocals soar over a soulful organ, twangy steel guitar and an emotionally poignant Dobro solo.
Offering insight to his songwriting process, Tom Rhodes says, “When I am telling a story it has to come from a place of truth, I have to know what I am saying is real or it’s not worth talking about. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, the person who breaks your heart also gives you the tools to fix it. ‘Crumbling Road’ is about a time when someone taught me that even a broken path, if it leads you back home, is a better journey than wandering around lost, hurt, and afraid.”
Listen to Tom Rhodes’ “Crumbling Road”:
Recorded at Gawain Mathews Music Studio in Pinole, California with some of San Francisco’s most sought-after musicians – Oscar Westesson (Bhi Bhiman, Quiles & Cloud) on bass, Andrew Laubacher (Con Brio, Kelly McFarling) on drums, and Tim Marcus (Lia Rose, Jessie Bridges) on guitar and pedal steel, as well as The Lady Crooners, Kyle M. Terrizzi, and Kelly McFarling on background vocals – Who You Were is a lush Americana record that blends the modern country-rock of Ryan Adams and the acoustic grooves of 70s Laurel Canyon, made unique and timeless through the power of Rhodes’s voice and the honesty and insight in his songs.
Who You Were is out July 15th. For more music and info visit tomrhodesmusic.com.
