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 Released: September 9, 2013 Format: Digital download Genre: Folk rock, country rock, Southern rock, Americana Length: 4:19 Label: North Hill Records Writer: Ryan Ross Hernandez Producer: Ryan Ross Hernandez, Don Was Song Review, by Rolling Stone"Going Down to the River" indicates the return of Ryan Ross Hernandez to music, and if we're lucky it'll mean him stick around for years to come. The once outspoken singer-songwriter has been quiet for the last year or so, stepping away from the things that made him a tabloid fixture once. After literally being silent for months after two throat surgeries, his voice slowly returning to form, and a new album on the horizon.
If "Going Down to the River" is any indication of what we can expect from the guitarist's sixth studio album, Traveling Tales, we are getting a progression from last year's Break in the Clouds, as Hernandez dives deeper into American roots music. On the first single, RRH sounds as comfortable and laid back as ever. The music comes in over a layering of voices speaking, while the listening is unable to decipher what they say, but it gives off the vibe of friends hanging out. Once the music takes over, it creates a perfect end-of-summer, coming of Fall vibe. Filled with relaxed guitar chords, clapping, stomping, and a chorus that is bound to get stuck in your head.
But for everyone who thinks the song downplays the 35 year old singer's instrument of choice, the guitar, it doesn't. With the over minute and fifteen second instrumental break, Hernandez leads the bass, keys, and infectious drum beat, with a rootsy solo that builds until the last few seconds of the song where it slowly starts to fade away, with the rest of the music. As a standalone song, the fading of the instruments marks as a nice touch, but will likely be more effective once a song follows it on the album.LyricsAlright, we goin' down to the river tonight [laughs]
We're going down to the river
Where the moon meets the water
While the seasons a-changin'
The summer sun is settling, find your lightweight coat for the fall
Let's start a bonfire to keep us all warm
We'll invite all our friends
I'll grab my guitar, we'll sing a tune we all know
So strap on your dancing boots, I'll wear my golden hat
This is the kind of night that the Western winds bring ya
You got your pretty hair down, down
In your favorite dress even though you freezin'
I can watch your beauty and raven hair run wild with the breeze by the river
Won't you sing, sing, sing, like this is a familiar song?
Everyone going down to the river, gonna lose yourself tonight
I'll trade my day to feel this free by the river
There's no need to bring your worries here
Loneliness has lost its beauty
A Christian girl filled that vacancy, she the only beauty I need
Now she and I dance to old time records, no more Blue
You can fall asleep on my chest and listen to the music in my heart
If you want, just pack a suitcase, it's all you'll need
'Cause this is the kind of night you only hear about by the Yellowstone
You got your pretty hair down, down
In your favorite dress even though you freezin'
I can watch your beauty and raven hair run wild with the breeze by the river
Won't you sing, sing, sing, like this is a familiar song?
Everyone going down to the river, gonna lose yourself tonight
I'll trade my day to feel this free by the river
You got my soul singin' a different tune in another key
A song is all you need to keep your love where the light is
Where the moon meets the water
You'll finally learn
I love you further than the map can go
Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah
Won't you sing, sing, sing, like this is a familiar song?
Everyone going down to the river, gonna lose yourself tonight
I'll trade my day to feel this free by the riverRyan Ross Hernandez's CommentaryThe Song“I think only once before in the five albums that I've done prior to Traveling Tales, has the first single been the first song on the record too. But I feel comfortable putting "Going Down to the River" as the first kind of taste taken off the album. I have no clue whether it's good first single or not, I'm not an artist seeking any hits with any songs I put out anymore, but I enjoy the song. I think it's very pleasant to listen to and I love playing it, we've played it for about two months so far on tour, and it's been incredible the reception it's gotten live. That was also an indication that it needed to be put out to lead the way for this record. How much the live crowd, which I can is the most important crowd, how they would get up on their feet and clap, stomp along, without knowing the words, but just enjoying the music. That's a freeing expression and I feel that this song is very free, too. It's not stacked with lofty metaphors, it's very visual and simplistic in a way. It has this live recorded instrumental section at the end, which I think takes up over a minute on tape, which we even cut down. I think on this song you can hear, and hopefully when they hear the entire record, how much fun myself and all these other great musicians were having making music together.”Sounds Like
COUNTDOWN TO TRAVELING TALES
42 DAYS
04 HOURS
25 MINUTES
38 SECONDS
Traveling Tales will be released on October 22, 2013 through North Hill Records. |
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