In a world filled with overproduced and underwritten country music, it’s always a breath of fresh air to hear a singer-songwriter as authentic and sincere as Tommy Goodroad. In his new single “Goodbye for Good,” he shows just what a genuine approach to Americana music in 2023 can sound like. He sings over a simple and understated line-up of classic folk and country instruments including Upright bass, a small kit drummer, mandolin, fiddle, pedal steel, and a quintessentially twangy electric guitar. This sounds like a lot of players, but the space left between each of them and the discipline of the players is wildly admirable. It’s no wonder Goodroad has elected to name the EP after them. Go check out “Tommy Goodroad and The Highway Birds” for more masterful midwestern-tinged folk.
“Goodbye for Good” is the closing track from Tommy Goodroad’s new EP, Tommy Goodroad and The Highway Birds. Written by Goodroad, the song chronicles the life of someone reeling from lost love and attempting to distract themselves from it, whose days of menial chores and indisposition fade into seasons of loneliness. It was recorded at Ohmstead Collective in Chicago by Seth Engel, and features Goodroad’s “top-notch band” The Highway Birds, delivering weepy pedal steel and fiddle interludes and warm electric guitar fills,” says Goodroad.
