By Darius McGrew of Indie Band Guru
Levi Lowrey is getting ready to release of Roots & Branches, currently raising funding on PledgeMusic. It has us all on the edge of our seats for one reason. The guy’s got talent.
Not only has he co-written a #1 hit for the prolific country music group Zac Brown Band, but he’s also been voted Best Local Songwriter, performed on multiple Zac Brown Band albums, and has even been listed on Roughstock’s “One to Watch” list back in 2013!
Levi Lowrey — Small Town Roots…
Hailing from the tiny city of Dacula, Georgia (population 4,600), Levi Lowrey has done an excellent job of stamping his honest hometown feel on everything he’s created. His 2011 album I Confess I Was A Fool was slow and peaceful, painting colorful stories of love, heartbreak, and a man’s futile attempts to cope with them.
His most powerful tug on your heartstrings will likely come from “No More Dreaming Kind,” a song from the album detailing the dreams and aspirations that every songwriter feels bound to. “Dreams are made to chase / And chasing’s meant for fools / And fools are meant for livin’ hard / And breakin’ all the rules.” His sincere voice croons with conviction as he spins the age-old tale of a man lost in his dreams — the No Good Dreaming Kind.
His early work was good but last years’ album, My Crazy Head, proved that Lowrey’s work had seen more than just a few minor improvements over the years. It had been taken entirely to the next level.
… Big Time Branches
The production quality saw exponential growth. The lyricism stretched far beyond their original old town boundaries. And the man’s singing voice went from overwhelmingly decent to sturdy and commanding.
The best song from the project is named after the album itself, and it’s a great opportunity for us to look down from a bird’s eye view and truly peer into the mind of an earnest songwriter.
The work supersedes all boundaries of genre — more authentic than modern country and too encompassing for folk and indie. Last year’s album by Levi Lowrey was a testament to a musician’s spirituality and its heavenly impact on his own creations.
This year’s Roots & Branches will surely put your listening heart into an awe-stricken dream state. Lewis Lowrey speaks of almost familiar past experiences and heartwarming anecdotes tailor made for the laid back listener crushin’ brews on a day off.
His method is simple: use basic instrumentation with a traditional sound, and let his tenderhearted voice and engaging lyricism do almost all of the work. You’ll hear the strumming of the banjo and you’ll hear the well-timed crashing of cymbals, but what you’ll listen is so much more pure. What you’ll be listening to, folks, is a man cursed with the almighty power of unwavering lyricism pouring out every last drop of his soul into a bowl in front of you.
And I dare you to take a sip.
