Known for his soulful vocals and ability to blend a variety of instruments and influences into one signature sound, Jarrod Dickenson’s songs are both compelling and catchy. Today, Dickenson is proud to share his anticipated new album Ready The Horses, released via Hooked Records. Self-produced in a studio on the southeast coast of England, Ready The Horses was recorded live, straight to 2” tape. The album has been spotlighted and critically acclaimed by a multitude of outlets, including PopMatters, who said, “Jarrod Dickenson's rootsy, broad-ranged Americana draws deeply from tradition while forging all-new sounds,” and BlogCritics, who praised the album saying, “Ready the Horses is a gem of a record, one you may find yourself playing from start to finish, uninterrupted – the ultimate compliment for any artist’s work.” Other critics emphasized Dickenson’s adept writing style, like American Songwriter, who said, “The Nashville-by-way-of-Waco songwriter knows how to craft a tune that leads listeners in with a jovial and warm community attitude but also leaves room for just a drop of mystery.” Ready The Horses is available today, click here to purchase or stream.
Inspired by the legendary music of Stax and Muscle Shoals in the ‘60s, Ready the Horses is layered with slide guitar, Hammond organ swells, punchy horns, and infectious melodies. Soul-soaked singles “Take It From Me” and “Way Past Midnight” are a great example of this, the latter of which Dickenson explains, “This was one of those magical moments in the studio where everything just came together. It’s equal parts gospel and grease. It’s about late nights in seedy dive bars. The possibilities, the thrill, the chase… and the comedic reality of how those nights tend to end up.” Ready The Horses further proves itself to be a truly dynamic record with softer singles like “A Cowboy & The Moon”, premiered by The Bluegrass Situation, and the intimate “Your Heart Belongs To Me”, which PopMatters dubbed, “...a subtly sweet duet,” with wife Claire Dickenson.
Lyrically, the ten songs on Ready The Horses illustrate Dickenson's honed writing skills and solidify his place as a charismatic songwriter with Texas roots. Glide Magazine said, “Dickenson shows himself to be quite the songwriter. He draws from a variety of influences and brings them altogether in a way that is enjoyable and easy to listen to, whether he’s singing a downtempo song or one that makes you feel like you’ve been taken to church.” Take “Gold Rush”—a rowdy tune that draws parallels between the greed in 1800s California and today’s Wall Street—a lyrical backstory that feels more timely than ever, albeit written years ago. Sounds Like Nashville pinned the song as, “a shadowy reminder that the get-rich-at-any-cost mindset is still very much alive—even in a crisis.”
“I wanted this record to sound bigger, be more energetic, get down and dirty in places and stay tender and vulnerable in others,” Dickenson explains, “More than anything, I simply want people to hear it. We put a lot of love into this album. It's honest. It's real. There was no studio trickery. No bullshit. What you hear on the record is what went down in the room. It's a bunch of friends crowding into the same room, making music together, live.”
All things Jarrod Dickenson can be found at https://jarroddickenson.com.
