Setting the tone with a luscious guitar soundscape, Blue Shirt Charlie open Shelter with a sense of nostalgia and atmospheric vocals as they deliver situational and metaphorical lyricism, drawing us into their universe.
The opus expands with an anthemic, alternative country energy which has us truly mesmerized. We love the poetic prowess that the band delivers and the authenticity in their prose, woes and sonic dimensionality.
We learn that Blue Shirt Charlie is a collective out of Nashville, Tennessee, whose members have made music with the likes of Shooter Jennings and Wade Bowen. They describe Shelter as “a driving and melodic stomper with lyrics reflecting on some real-life tragedies.” The band adds with depth, “The theme: When life implodes, what gets you through the day–what’s your shelter?”
The middle eight takes on a more meditative and transcendental edge, allowing us to reflect on the message of the song with glistening instrumentation before the bold final reprise with choral harmonies to boot which has us reaching for the repeat button!
We learn that at the dawn of the alt-Country movement, Blue Shirt Charlie garnered early attention purveying their brand of amped-up Americana in cities and towns along Central Texas’ Brazos River.
The band cite Elliott Smith, Steve Earle, early U2 and the Old 97’s as some of their influences, which we can feel come through in their artistry, although it is clear that Blue Shirt Charlie are creating a sound of their own. The band is made up of Richie Sessions, Russ Chapman, and Lex Lipsitz, and we have added Shelter to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we anticipate future releases from Blue Shirt Charlie!