It’s hard to believe that it has been almost four years since 17-year-old Jack Barksdale recorded his last full-length album. There have been a smattering of singles and an EP in those intervening years, and each time the listener and the world in general views a new iteration of an artist finding his way in his art.
Barksdale’s maturity is evident in Barksdale’s latest album, Voices, due out June 13th via Truly Handmade Records (PRE-ORDER). Barksdale delivers his most fully realized work yet, an 11-song, 50-minute studio album that lays bare the essence of who he is—both as a musician and as a human being.
The album is being released by Truly Handmade Records, a label created by the estate of legendary songwriter Guy Clark as a “home for songwriters,” and, notably, Rodney Crowell, Tamara Saviano, and Verlon Thompson all serve on its board of directors. Voices is a testament to Barksdale’s relentless artistic pursuit. “I’ve been exploring many things,” he reflects. “Art, religion, reality, society, philosophy, and myself. I guess you could say I’m searching for a better understanding of it all.”
The title track and the album title – Voices – come from some of Barksdale’s thoughts on the process of songwriting. All the tracks on this album were written by him alone. He explains, “In my view, songwriting is one of the closest things to schizophrenia that there is. All these narratives and voices are coming out of one person and often from unknown places. These songs are the result of these voices at work. They all come from different places and each carries its own personality.”
The album benefits from an all-star cast of personnel. Engineered by Britton Beisenherz of Ramble Creek Studios in Austin, Texas, Voices features additional contributions from Luke Moller, Diana Burgess, and Chris Gelin, among others. Barksdale expresses deep gratitude for the collaborative effort, saying, “Thanks to all of these people, these voices are being heard; I hope you enjoy and become acquainted with them.”
With Voices, Jack Barksdale cements his place as an artist of rare depth and insight—one unafraid to explore the vast terrain of human experience, and to share his discoveries, one song at a time.
Today, Glide is offering an exclusive premiere of the standout track “The Man, The Myth, The Legend” and its accompanying video. This meta-commentary about staying humble finds Barksdale offering a solemn and reflective work of sparse folk with little more than his guitar and a touch of strings to accentuate the poignancy of the lyrics. Throughout the song, Barksdale weilds a sort of quiet power and wisdom that feels well beyond his years.
Watch the video and read our conversation with Jack Barksdale below…
What is this song about and what inspired it? Why is it important to you and what about the song really speaks to you?
Well, this is the last song I wrote for the album, and I meant it as a meta-commentary on the album itself. The songs on this album cover many topics, but a running theme throughout is the attempt to tackle big, broad concepts, and I think a common fear when talking about those kinds of concepts is coming off overly pretentious. So I decided to kind of call myself out on it. It’s a funny song at its core. It may be dark but still funny. I think that the fear of being pretentious or overconfident is an important thing to keep in the back of your mind to humble yourself to a degree, but I also think you shouldn’t let the possibility of being perceived negatively keep you from exploring and trying new and big things.
What was the writing process like for the song?
I remember writing it fairly quickly. I only came up with the idea to use the phrase “the man, the myth, the legend” after I wrote the first verse. When thinking of ideas for the second verse, I realized it would be cool to work “the man, the myth, the legend” into the song as a blueprint for the verses and a meta-theme. I often try to make the song title a part of the song, and this is one of my most successful attempts!
What were the studio session and recording process like for this song? Any great stories from the creation process?
Jared Reynolds, Diana Burgess, Bukka Alle, and I are the musicians on “The Man, The Myth, The Legend.” This song was made during three recording sessions. During the first session, I recorded the guitar and vocals, and Jared recorded the bass. During the second and third sessions, Diana recorded the cello and Bukka recorded the Wurlitzer and piano. I wasn’t physically there for these sessions, but my producer, Mike Meadows, was sending me MP3s in real time. Although I gave minor edits, the song kind of transformed in front of my eyes from a stripped-down, acoustic song into the haunting recording that it is.
Are there any lyric lines that you really love or that are really important to you? What do you feel makes them resonate?
I like the line, “Mythologies, they burst in and out of the vacuum of our doubt.” Not only is it a fun virtual particle reference, but it’s also an interesting thought that holds relevance beyond the scope of this song. That’s pretty much all that rumors and legends and myths are, just something to fill the void. Sometimes the void is comprised of real answers and sometimes the void is comprised of comfortable answers. But I think it’s important to recognize these voids as voids and not anything else.
If listeners can take away one thing from having heard this song, what do you hope that is?
Well, I’m not quite sure. I guess one way to look at it is, we’ve all got insecurities about the things we do and how they’re perceived, which can be good and bad. On the one hand, it’s important to be aware of yourself and the people around you, but on the other hand, you shouldn’t let it hold you back. Even though I had this fear of being pretentious and overconfident, I’m still going to release this album and play these songs and hope it goes well.
How does this song fit in among others on the album? How is it similar or different?
This song in particular is pretty different from the other songs on the album. It’s sort of detached from the rest of the songs and is more of a commentary on the album than a part of the album. It’s the first song on the track list, so it acts as an intro to the rest of the album.
As you’ve gotten older, how has your songwriting process or inspiration changed?
My songwriting process has changed a lot, and I expect it to continue to change. Although every song is written a little differently, I’ve definitely changed my outlook on songwriting over the years, and, subsequently, my approach and process. One of the biggest changes has been trying to be more conscious about what I write instead of just writing whatever pops into my head. Songs can be powerful. People tend to let down their guard more when words are sung rather than spoken. I try not to take advantage of that too much and try to be as honest and intentional as I can be.
What is coming up next for Jack Barksdale?
Looking forward to hitting the road! We have about 40 shows lined up all across the US, including several dates with one of my favorite songwriters, Abe Partridge.
