After three well-received singles drawn from the bluegrass-adjacent country music catalog, acclaimed bluegrass quintet, Lonesome River Band, returns with a new Mountain Home Music Company single that, even as it throws a couple of gentle curveballs, stands squarely on pure bluegrass turf.
In fact, “Hang Around for the Heartbreak” has “classic LRB” written all over it, kicking off with award-winning banjo man and bandleader Sammy Shelor’s signature rhythmic flair before singer Adam Miller launches into the mid-tempo tune’s confession of a love that transcends the uncertainty of its outcome:
It’s hard to keep a secret in a little town
Where everybody knows everybody they all talk about
….
Rumor has it we’re two of a kind
If I don’t break your heart first, you’ll break mine
It’s just a matter of time but that’s all right
With a distinctive chord pattern that sets up the mixture of brightness and melancholy found in its chorus:
If we chase this feeling down whatever road it leads us
We’ll never have regrets about a chance we didn’t take
But if we’re just pretending this might be a happy ending someday
I’ll still hang around for the heartbreak
“Hang Around for the Heartbreak” hits a durable thematic nerve, accentuated by an unusual structure that serves up a delicious round of solos from Miller (mandolin), guitarist Jesse Smathers and legendary fiddler Mike Hartgrove before taking a left turn into a moody bridge that summarizes the narrator’s determination:
The first time that we kissed, I knew right then
You and I could never be just friends
No matter how it ends
I’d do it all again
“This song was sent to us from my good friend, Barry Hutchens, who has been writing some material with his son, Will, and Jerry Salley,” notes Shelor. “I call it a ‘Happy Heartbreak’ song. It’s a great perspective put together by Barry, Will and Jerry. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!”
"Hang Around for the Heartbreak" is streaming in Dolby Atmos spatial audio on Apple Music, Amazon Music and TIDAL. Listen to it HERE.
