In the realm of shamefully underrated singer-songwriters, Malcolm Holcombe has to be near the top of every list. The Western North Carolina lifer is truly the real deal with his genuine vibrato filled with explosive anguish and hard-traveled grit. And that grit took another step as he recently battled cancer and is now a survivor. His 8th album Bits and Pieces is out in late June and will be one of his boldest statements to date as he takes his renowned underground folk resume towards a broader scope with help from his longtime musical companion Jared Tyler, who added instrumentation and produced Bits and Pieces.
Glide is premiering the courageous “Fill Those Shoes,” which pummels along with the ragged glory of Guy Clark and the vibrant curiosity of John Hiatt. We can see why Holcombe is a favorite of the Nashville scene and beyond as it’s the growling guitar and chugging musical interplay that gives Holcombe’s music an extra stamp of natural musical fuel.
“Fill Those Shoes” is one of those songs that keeps workin on me. Malcolm wrote a lot of these songs during the craziness of covid and I truly believe he hit the pulse of what lot of us were experiencing on this one. We took a simple yet authoritative approach to the production to feature the depth of his message. This song gives me hope of being a better human,” says Tyler about Holcombe’s instinctive track.
