Drawing us in with an elegant, acoustic guitar soundscape, Joe Pope opens Calumet with situational prose as he sings, “There’s a faded photograph of you, sitting in the sand upon my knee…”

The opus expands with a timeless and authentic energy as Joe Pope takes us through an emotive and captivating tale with intricate percussion from Hughes Pope and a stunning strings arrangement from Maia Frankowski. His soundscape demonstrates nothing short of instrumental mastery, and reminds of how deeply we are able to connect with minimalism, especially when the subject matter of the song is so gripping.

Speaking on the inspiration behind the song, Joe confesses with depth, “Fifteen years ago, a mash bill of corn, rye, and malted barley was poured into in a new white oak barrel and placed in a Kentucky rickhouse. There, it aged through bitter winter cold, and scorching summer heat, taking on the character of the wood that encased it.”

He continues, “Its journey shadowed a personal trial of my own, and of my son’s. Six months ago one of those bottles was uncorked. And my son and I got to have a conversation that changed our lives for the better. Calumet was written in honor of that difficult part of our lives, and the complex – sweet and spicy flavor and character it produced.”

Joe cites are diverse range of influences including Nathaniel Ratliff, Ray LaMontagne, Noah Kahan, and Gregory Alan Isakov, but it is clear that Joe Pope is creating a universe of his own.

We appreciate the depth and poetic prowess displayed, as well as Joe’s tangible authenticity. Naturally, we have added Calumet to our New Music Spotlight playlist, whilst we continue to stream Joe Pope‘s growing discography, and anticipate future releases from the creator.

The post Joe Pope shares his soul on refined and affirmative new single, Calumet appeared first on KIMU.