With Go Down Singin' Rice emerges as a spirit settling into a more philosophical place. Still wildly committed to living wide open in pursuit of his dream and being the best man possible, there was only one title for this 11 - song cycle. Whether measuring the pitfalls and triumphs on the lean fiddle'n' harmony assessment of "Oh Tennessee, " the cascading acoustic guitar passage of simple wisdom from father to son in "Numbers, " or the smoky looking back at first loves in "Little Red Race Car, " there's a knowing appreciation for how he got here. In a voice sturdy as a retaining wall, Rice confesses, "I'm 38 now, and that's part of it. I've journaled since I was 15 years old, but there's something about being able to tell other people. I'm a deep person, but I don't know to show it in real life, so I'm trying to do it in my music." For me, 'Go Down Singin'is everything about where I am and what I want. I'm starting to see myself as who I want to be, not who I thought I should be. That's a good start. And I think a lot of men struggle with this stuff, too. "Getting honest, digging down, Rice shifted his approach. Working with Oscar Charles (Boy Named Banjo, Madeline Edwards, E lvie Shane), the pair worked to create a sound that was as honest, as real instrument grounded as the songs that were emerging. Written largely on guitars and piano, Go Down Singin' showed a man reckoning with growing up. 1 Side 1 2 Go Down Singin' 3 Fireside 4 That Word Don't Work No More 5 Hey God It's Me Again 6 Oh Tennessee 7 Haw River 8 Side 2 9 Arkansas 10 Numbers 11 If Drinkin' Helped 12 Little Red Race Car 13 You in '85
