Go Down Singin'

With Go Down Singin' Rice emerges as a spirit settling into a more philosophical place. Still

wildly committed to living wide open in pursuit of his dream and being the best man possible,

there was only one title for this 11

- song cycle. Whether measuring the pitfalls and triumphs on

the lean fiddle'n' harmony assessment of

"Oh Tennessee, "

the cascading acoustic guitar passage

of simple wisdom from father to son in

"Numbers, "

or the smoky looking back at first loves in

"Little Red Race Car, " there's a knowing appreciation for how he got here.

In a voice sturdy as a retaining wall, Rice confesses,

"I'm 38 now, and that's part of it. I've journaled since I was 15 years old,

but there's something about being able to tell other people.

I'm a deep person, but I don't know to show it in real life, so I'm trying to do it in my music."

For me, 'Go Down Singin'is everything about where I am and what I want. I'm starting to see

myself as who I want to be, not who I thought I should be. That's a good start. And I think a lot

of men struggle with this stuff, too.

"Getting honest, digging down, Rice shifted his approach. Working with Oscar

Charles (Boy Named Banjo, Madeline Edwards, E

lvie Shane), the pair worked to create a sound that was as

honest, as real instrument grounded as the songs that were emerging. Written largely on guitars

and piano, Go Down Singin' showed a man reckoning with growing up.