Brent Cobb has announced the UK release of his critically acclaimed debut album Shine On Rainy Day, which will be released March 24th through Atlantic Records.To coincide with the announcement, The Independent premiered a heart-rending new performance of the title track which was filmed at the legendary Sam Phillips Studio in Memphis, Tennessee.
The video gives a taste of what’s to come from the Georgia native who this week hits the UK for a number of shows. These dates follow Brent’s US tour with Anderson East and a recent support slot with country music giant Chris Stapleton.
Brent will play the following dates in the UK:
26th January - The Slaughtered Lamb, London
27th January - Castle Hotel, Manchester
29th January - Celtic Connections at O2 ABC, Glasgow
About Shine on Rainy Day
Released in the US last year to widespread critical acclaim, Shine On Rainy Day made number 11 in Rolling Stone Country’s Top 40 Albums of 2016. The album saw him enlist the help of his cousin and fellow Georgian, Dave Cobb, the Grammy Award-winning producer who has worked with Chris Stapleton, Jamey Johnson, Sturgill Simpson and Jason Isbell
Brent wanted to record an album that felt drenched in the spirit of the South, but is neither conventional Southern rock nor mainstream country. Instead Shine On Rainy Day sits somewhere on the wide bandwidth that exists between the two.
Working with cousin Dave they discovered the perfect vibe for the album, from the blue-eyed soul evident on album opener ‘Solving Problems’, through the country funk of ‘Diggin’ Holes’, to the swamp boogie sounds of the 1960s and early 1970s which resonate on album closer ‘Black Crow’, featuring blistering slide guitar work by Grammy Award winner Jason Isbell.
Lyrically the album carries something of a Southern Gothic narrative, channeling the influences of Brent’s rural life. It alternates between dark visions and those self-deprecating scenes of black humour which bubble up in laugh-or-cry moments. He chose the album’s title after a friend heard ‘Shine On Rainy Day’ following a family tragedy and mentioned how powerful it was to him.
“When you have a bad storm that hits, the next day the trees are in full bloom and the grass is greener and lightning cleans the air up,” Brent says. “My friend called me up out of the blue and said that song hit him so hard. It’s talking about a rainy day, and they’re going through a real life rainy day.”
2017 is set to be a busy year for Brent. As well as his UK dates, he’ll be out on the road across the US supporting the likes of Chris Stapleton, The Cadillac Three, Little Big Town, Nikki Lane and playing California’s Stagecoach Festival.
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