Het mag dan niet zijn beste nummer zijn, toch moet ik Grief is Only Love aan bod laten komen. Wilson's album søn of dad verscheen vorig jaar en telde maar liefst tweeëntwintig songs. Zwakke zaten er niet tussen, maar dat niet elk nummer van een torenhoog niveau kan zijn, lijkt me maar normaal. Deze single is eentje waar je aan voorbij zou gaan... en dat zou zonde zijn. Luisteren dus en ook even verdiepen in de thematiek.
Ik grijp nog eens de gelegenheid om zijn album - wat mij betreft het americana AOTY2023 - in de spotlights te plaatsen: een must have voor elke (americana) muziekliefhebber i.m.h.o.
Luister ook naar: de akoestische versie
Ter Info
The official video, directed by Stephen Kinigopoulos and Alexa Stone, channels Stephen Wilson Jr.'s life story into a highly intense and emotional video that pulls from his experience of living with, loving, and ultimately losing his father unexpectedly. Similar to the main character in the video, Stephen raced to be by his father's side in his final moments and was forced to say goodbye to him in his car on an iPhone 8 in the middle of Kentucky. “His last words to me were 'Write a good song for me' and then he said, 'I love you' four times,” he reflects.
Stephen Wilson Jr.'s journey from the hollers of southern Indiana to Nashville, Tenn. has been a winding road that's taken many detours: He's been an Indiana State Golden Gloves boxing finalist, a scientist, and a lead guitarist and songwriter in an indie rock band. In 2016, he ditched his laboratory nine-to-five and signed a publishing deal with BMG Nashville where his alchemic song craft immediately made waves, earning cuts from Caitlyn Smith, Old Dominion, Tim McGraw, Sixpence None the Richer, Leigh Nash, and more. 2023 proved to be Wilson Jr.'s breakthrough year, signing with Big Loud Records and releasing his debut double album søn of dad: a triumphant, genre-spanning set of 22 songs dedicated to his late father and given to the world on the five-year anniversary of his death. The album was named the No. 1 album of 2023 by Holler who called it “a record for the ages,” and earned a spot as one of the best albums of the year from Whiskey Riff, Wide Open Country, music critic Grady Smith, and Rolling Stone. Last year, he toured with Brothers Osborne, The Cadillac Three, Midland, Hailey Whitters, and The Lone Bellow, with debuts at the Grand Ole Opry, Stagecoach, the Ryman Auditorium, CMA Fest, and Red Rocks. This year, he's hit the road with HARDY, Brothers Osborne, Charles Wesley Godwin, and The Cadillac Three with festival appearances at C2C, Tortuga, Stagecoach, Country Thunder, and more.
