Be absorbed by this incredible performance from GRAMMY-nominated Rival Sons frontman Jay Buchanan. This intimate acoustic version of Buchanan’s solo song Sway draws all your attention to his fine voice. With incredible control, Buchanan demonstrates his range and power. Seemingly effortless sustained notes add tension and release alongside dramatic changes in volume. Buchanan’s delivery, just his vocal exposed with the guitar, is full of emotion and is utterly captivating.
Buchanan has teamed up with LR Baggs, the acoustic guitar pickup, to record a series of live sessions, showcasing songs from Buchanan’s recently released solo album, Weapons of Beauty. Buchanan recalls writing the album in the solitude of the Mojave Desert before working with nine-time GRAMMY Award-winning producer Dave Cobb to record the songs in Nashville. He says of the live sessions and his use of the LR Baggs pickup: “Amplifying an acoustic is an uphill battle, and what makes LR Baggs different is the innovation. Lloyd’s vision for always wanting to do it better… that’s the constant for LR Baggs. I’m using a custom M1A that the team made for me. I have three versions: black, tortoiseshell, and wood grain. I’m on deck with a rock and roll band. I don’t need to sound like Leo Kottke. I just need the guitar to sound like a guitar, and I need it to be resistant to feedback. That’s what this is all about, and these are really amazing pickups — the clarity and everything. These are brilliant.” Having created a number of albums alongside Cobb, Buchanan shares, “He’s pulled me into all kinds of different things and had me working with people I never thought I would. In my professional life, I can’t think of anyone else who has been so crucial and supportive of my growth and career.”
Whether solo or with rock band Rival Sons, Jay Buchanan is a huge presence, whose gritty, characterful voice is truly an intensely powerful instrument. Few artists can command a stage and deliver a vocal performance like this. In his exploration of roots music on his debut, Buchanan’s songs are introspective, emotional reflections to lose yourself in.
