“Come on lightning, show us your stuff,” those words from Grant-Lee Phillips‘s young daughter were the inspiration for the critically lauded Nashville-based singer/songwriter’s tenth studio album, Lightning, Show Us Your Stuff, slated for a September 4 release on Yep Roc Records.
Painting a beautifully human musical tapestry, Lightning, Show Us Your Stuff finds the veteran singer/songwriter at his most inspired. Featuring 10 original compositions, each track exhibits why Phillips remains one of the strongest torchbearers of his generation.
The album’s second single, “Straight to the Ground,” premiered today at SPIN. “I tapped into my own youth to render a character whose small-town upbringing finds them feeling hemmed in and disillusioned. Imagining an idyllic vista out west, that all seems achingly out of reach,” Phillips says. “I remember that feeling, the frustration of being nineteen and quite certain that the whole world would pass me by if I didn’t get out of the house or hit the highway. I wrote this song last autumn, shortly before the recording session. When I sing it today however, I can’t help but think of my own twelve-year old daughter and all the kids whose lives have been disrupted by this pandemic – all of those graduation ceremonies and markers that have been snatched away.”
The first single, “Lowest Low”, which premiered at Ditty TV, was praised by Brooklyn Vegan who noted, “Grant-Lee Phillips is back with this gentle, beautiful new single, anchored by his warm, inviting delivery.”
“These days, I’m interested in writing about the quiet lives of people who are wrestling to hang on, trying to retain dignity, fighting back forces beyond their control,” offers Phillips. “I’m not interested in pinning the songs down or reducing their mystery. I’m attempting to capture a sliver of time.”
Lightning, Show Us Your Stuff was produced by Phillips, who is featured on vocals, guitars, piano, and organ. Recorded and mixed by Pete Min (Amos Lee, Andrew Bird) at Lucy’s Meat Market in Los Angeles, CA, Phillips was joined in studio by drummer Jay Bellerose (Robert Plant, Alison Krauss), bassist Jennifer Condos (Ray LaMontagne, Bruce Springsteen, Sam Phillips), pedal steel player Eric Haywood (Son Volt, The Jayhawks), and horn player Danny T. Levin (Iggy Pop, Regina Spektor).
The California-born singer, songwriter, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, actor, film composer, and visual artist began his career as the frontman for Grant-Lee Buffalo.Named “male vocalist of the year” by Rolling Stone, USA Today called him a “soulful balladeer” while Uncut hailed him as a “distinguished U.S. songwriter.” In 2016, he reprised his role as the beloved town troubadour in the Netflix revival of Gilmore Girls.
Lightning, Show Us Your Stuff Tracklisting
1. Ain’t Done Yet
2. Drawing the Head
3. Lowest Low
4. Leave a Light On
5. Mourning Dove
6. Sometimes You Wake Up in Charleston
7. Gather Up
8. Straight to the Ground
9. Coming To
10. Walking in My Sleep
