JD McPherson has premiered a new song, “Crying’s Just a Thing That You Do,” and you can check it out below. The track is from his upcoming album, Undivided...
JD McPherson has premiered a new song, “Crying’s Just a Thing That You Do,” and you can check it out below. The track is from his upcoming album, Undivided Heart & Soul, which will be released October 6 via New West Records[1].
Rolling Stone called the tune—which features some killer baritone guitar, by the way—a “Jerry Lee Lewis-in-the-key-of T. Rex rocker.”
Whether or not you agree with that assessment, you have to appreciate its fresh, stripped-down approach and magnetic beat—not to mention its references to Edgar Allan Poe and Rosetti (although we're not sure if he means Dante Gabriel[2] or Christina[3]).
"I’m a huge fan of guitar," McPherson—a former middle-school art teacher—told Guitar World last week. "I love guitar music, but I tend to gravitate more toward things that fall on the side of musical, stylish or sparse. I love Bo Diddley; there’s nobody cooler than that. That style of guitar playing isn’t about big arpeggio sweeps and things. I love Chuck Berry’s playing. Was he out of tune sometimes? Yes. Was he bending too far sometimes? Yes. It’s awesome. I love it. It sounds like fun. It sounds like teenager music."
Prior to writing and recording the new album, McPherson moved his family from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma[4], to the burgeoning artist community of East Nashville[5]. His decision was based on opportunity and one he was reluctant to make, but he notes the influence the city has had on his new work.
“Up to this point, I thought I knew what I was doing with songwriting, that I don’t do this or that,” McPherson said. After collaborating with multiple artists in the scene, he began to experiment, exploring personal themes and injecting more of