Critically acclaimed husband & wife duo Shovels & Rope will release their anticipated new album Little Seeds on their new label New West Records on 7th October. Known for their honest, raw and highly distinctive sound, Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent (aka Shovels & Rope) have made their most personal and powerful album yet.As songwriters, Hearst and Trent have earned a reputation as gifted storytellers. The main distinction between their prior work and Little Seeds, is that the stories here are true and inspired by their own experiences and observations.
Little Seeds reflects a pivotal and tumultuous time in their lives, and in our society. With song titles such as 'Botched Execution', 'Mourning Song', 'The Last Hawk' and subject matters ranging from Alzheimer’s disease ('Invisible Man') to over-medicating children ('Johnny Come Outside') to racial unity (‘BWYR'), one might think Little Seeds is a hopeless and depressing work, which would be highly inaccurate. Shovels & Rope’s penchant for writing literate, Southern Gothic infused songs that exude a dark humor, deep sentiment and the celebration of the genuine, quirky and beautiful things in life has never shined brighter than it does on Little Seeds.
Like most of their previous material, Little Seeds was recorded in the couple’s Charleston, SC home studio, and produced by Trent. Hearst and Trent wrote all the songs and played every instrument. Little Seeds is the follow up to their acclaimed 2014 release Swimmin’ Time, which debuted in the Top 20 on the Billboard 200, #5 on the rock chart and #6 on the independent chart. The duo, who were nominated in four categories at the Americana Music Awards, winning ‘Song of the Year’ (‘Birmingham’) and ‘Emerging Artist of the Year’, were the subject of a documentary ‘The Ballad of Shovels & Rope’, which chronicles the band’s humble beginnings through the release of O’ Be Joyful and premiered at the Nashville Film Festival. Featuring covers of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Johnny 99’ and Tom Waits’ ‘Bad As Me’, Shovels & Rope released a single through Jack White’s Third Man Records in 2013.
For more information on Shovels & Rope, follow them on Twitter, like them on Facebook and visit their official site. LISTEN to 'I Know', the first track from Little Seeds below.
