Endorsed by such varied greats as Tom T. Hall, The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, and Ricky Skaggs, The Gibson Brothers have long been heralded by those in-the-know as masters of their craft. Their latest effort, Darkest Hour, aims to make them household names. By taking universally known truths and feelings and distilling them into impeccable bluegrass, country, and Americana songs—and playing them oh so sweetly—Eric and Leigh Gibson connect with each and every audience member, longtime listener, and casual passerby. With their new single, “One Minute Of You (Song For Annie Gray),” their target audience is every parent everywhere who wishes to have (or have had) more time with their rapidly growing children. “Leigh wrote this song for his daughter, Annie,” says Eric. ”It's for all the parents out there who all know that time with your kids slips away quickly.”
The third single from The Gibson Brothers’ upcoming Jerry Douglas-produced LP, Darkest Hour, “One Minute Of You (Song For Annie Gray)” rides a galloping acoustic guitar foundation with minimal percussion and tasty electric guitar and fiddle flourishes. The song, like most of the Gibson’s catalog, feels equally at home on stage at a bluegrass festival or on classic country radio waves. “Now, Babe, I know there comes a day / But I don’t want to give away one minute of you.”
Fans can check out “One Minute Of You (Song For Annie Gray)” over at The Bluegrass Situation now, save the track here, and pre-order or pre-save Darkest Hour ahead of its release at this link.
Due out on January 27th, Darkest Hour spans from trad-grass to country-soul and back again, utilizing classically bluegrass instruments as well as electric guitars and drums to craft a sound fit for the songs it surrounds. And while The Gibson Brothers have achieved a level of success doing things their way, and that’s not going to change, those that know—their peers that voted them to two Entertainers of the Year Awards, and their famed crop of producers—know just how talented these guys are. And just how much they deserve for Darkest Hour to take The Gibson Brothers to a whole new level.
Additionally, The Gibson Brothers just announced a string of tour dates throughout January and February beginning in Old Saybrook, Connecticut on the 26th. A complete list of dates can be found below or at gibsonbrothers.com/tour.
More About Darkest Hour: While The Gibson Brothers’ last release, Mockingbird, featured gorgeous production, recreating the sound on stage was difficult. “We put together a band to go out and try to recreate it,” remembers Eric Gibson. “But we couldn't. We would have to have such a huge band to try to recreate that record, but we did the best we could.”
Darkest Hour producer Jerry Douglas—who has won 14 Grammy awards and backed up everyone from Ray Charles to Paul Simon and George Jones—wanted to make a record The Gibson Brothers could actually play on the road. So, he picked the best songs out of dozens and squirreled the group away in Sound Emporium’s Studio B. But then the pandemic hit. “We did our last shows in March of 2020,” Eric says. “We were in Nashville the week everything was shutting down. It was surreal, but Jerry was like, ‘Guys, the world's going crazy. Let's let this be our little cocoon.’ And we did. We cut all of the acoustic stuff and then went home and didn't play any more gigs until things started opening. Then we went back and finished the record with Jerry in February of 2021.”
The result is arguably the strongest record The Gibson Brothers have ever made. The songs recorded in the first recording period featured Mike Barber (bass), Justin Moses (mandolin), Eamon McLoughlin (fiddle), and of course, Jerry Douglas, adding in John Gardner (drums), Guthrie Trapp (electric guitar), Todd Parks (bass), and Alison Krauss (vocals) for the final tracks, Darkest Hour showcases just how easily Eric and Leigh move from what Dan Auerbach dubbed “country soul” (“I Go Driving”) to high octane bluegrass (“What a Difference A Day Makes” and “Dust”) with Douglas always keeping the spotlight on the songs themselves. “That’s what I love about those guys,” Douglas told me, “they are just great songwriters.”
Darkest Hour Tracklist:
1. What A Difference A Day Makes
2. Heart’s Desire
3. So Long Mama
4. I Feel The Same Way As You
5. Shut Up and Dance
6. I Go Driving
7. My Darkest Hour
8. Who’s Gonna Want A Heart Like Mine
9. One Minute Of You (Song For Annie Gray)
10. Your Eyes Say His Name
11. Dust
12. This Good Day
Catch The Gibson Brothers On Tour:
Jan. 26 – Old Saybrook, CT – The Kate
Jan. 27 – Fairfield, CT – StageOne
Jan. 28 – Shirley, MA – Bull Run
Jan. 29 – Newburyport, MA – Firehouse Center
Feb. 2 – Glens Falls, NY – The Park Theater
Feb. 3 – Clinton, NY – Kirkland Art Center
Feb. 4 – Norwood, NY – Norwood Central School
Feb. 9 - Annapolis, MD - Rams Head
Feb. 10 - Richmond, VA – The Tin Pan
Feb. 11 – Rocky Mount, VA – Harvester Performance Center
Feb. 12 – Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall
Feb. 16 – Newport, KY – The Southgate House Revival
Feb. 18 – Nashville, TN – Analog at Hutton Hotel
Feb. 19 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
