SONG PREMIERE: Red Wanting Blue Balance Heartland Rock and Catchy Soul With “High and Dry”

It’s been more than twenty years since Ohio band Red Wanting Blue first began their long, strange odyssey, and while much has changed for lead singer and tenor guitarist Scott Terry and the rest of the band over those two remarkable decades, the hunger remains. Like the North Star, it’s fixed in the firmament, a guiding light perpetually out of reach. Hunger has been their fuel, their motivation, their essence. Hunger has steered every step of the group’s extraordinary journey, and now, it’s at the heart of their most powerful record yet, The Wanting, which is out April 27th and will be their first release on Blue Élan Records.

Produced by acclaimed singer/songwriter Will Hoge, The Wanting showcases Red Wanting Blue at their finest, with Terry’s epic, heartfelt vocals soaring above the band’s gritty, driving rock and roll. Alternately triumphant and melancholic, the songs are both muscular and nuanced, equally at home blasting from a car stereo as they are drifting through a pair of headphones late on some lonely night. Though the record draws on many of the band’s traditional strengths—indelible melodies, infectious hooks, explosive performances—the making of it pushed Red Wanting Blue far outside their comfort zone and forced them to take an unprecedented, nearly year-long break from touring.

Despite the group’s distinctly Midwestern beginnings, the origins of The Wanting lie not in Ohio, or even in Brooklyn (where Terry currently resides), but rather in Mexico. It was there, on a day off during the band’s sixth annual trip aboard the Rock Boat cruise, that the seeds of collaboration with fellow performer Will Hoge were sown. The result is an album that showcases the band’s versatile influences, at times reminiscent of artists like Phil Collins, REM and The Jayhawks.

Today Glide is excited to share a sneak premiere of “High and Dry”, a song that captures the band’s ability to tap into the consciousness of collective positivity. Scott Terry manages to balance his honesty and bluntness about the rougher times we all deal with while offering a message about counting on those around you to keep you pushing forward. Vocally, he channels the likes of rough and tumble Heartland rockers like John Mellencamp and Bob Seger alongside the grungy soul of Eddie Vedder, all while keeping his own distinctive gritty soul front and center. Though the band hails from Ohio, they seem to be melding Southern organ-heavy rock with power pop guitar and 90’s alt-rock radio catchiness. Ultimately, this is just one snippet of an album that seems to be loaded with singles.  

LISTEN:

Red Wanting Blue release The Wanting on April 27th. For more music and info visit redwantingblue.com.

 

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