You find Andrew Gabbard on the road and in his creative prime on this astral road trip, collecting songs like a cosmic traveler hitching a ride.
Ramble & Rave On! (due out November 15th via Karma Chief Records), Andrew’s third solo LP, sounds like the kind of weathered tattoo you’d see etched on a barfly’s forearm as he slams another drink in a dive. Like its title, the record feels like something that’s always been around; a trusty mixtape that everyone can agree on.
Andrew comes to this collection of songs with something that very much feels like a ‘studio’ record, the kind of album a 60s rock star feels like they’ve built the confidence to make, to shake off a rawness for something fuller and more realized. The fact that this record was yet again a homemade effort, with Andrew playing everything (apart from Sven Kahns’ pedal steel), gives you an idea of how devoted and studied he is to creating that perfect song.
Ramble & Rave On! is Andrew’s most personal album yet, it finds him journeying between his worlds as a decades-long touring & studio musician/vocalist for the Black Keys, as a songwriter with his head-in-the-stars, and as the man in his home with the people he holds dearest and with the studio where he brings it all together. It is clear that Andrew finds himself at this prolific point in his career completely beholden to songs, to their absolute power, and to their otherworldly ability to connect.
He has mastered his craft, and proves throughout the course of this album that he can truly make a pitstop stop at every genre.
Today Glide is excited to to premiere the album’s title track, which finds the hugely talented Andrew building on the cosmic country foundation he laid with his 2023 solo album Cedar City Sweetheart. With this tune, it’s clear that Andrew is moving more into a rock and roll groover realm as he cooks up a guitar-driven song that bounces along with radiant energy. Like a vivacious manifestation of underrated artists like Harry Nilsson and Doug Sahm, Andrew knows how to create music that feels loose and fun yet still manages to carry artistic depth. If this song is any indication, we can expect another collection of lively tunes from an artist who seriously deserves to get some time in the spotlight.
Andrew describes the inspiration behind the tune:
“‘Ramble and Rave On’ is a song about being on the road and trying to process everything that’s flying past me. It’s about knowing who you are and being aware that the journey you’re on is changing you. It’s about getting comfortable feeling lost in the world and missing my wife’s home-cooking. There’s also a mention of water towers which, I think, some folks may get a kick out of….”
LISTEN:
