It’s an absolute joy to see Grant-Lee Phillips lost in the music as he performs his recent single ‘Remember This’. His vocal performance is genuine and heartfelt, just like the simple, direct expression of love in the lyrics. Above all, there’s a gorgeous melody and, once again, Phillips displays his excellent songcraft. Eric Heywood’s pedal steel adds a gorgeous layer and Phillips is joined by other fine musicians, including Jay Bellerose (Robert Plant, Alison Krauss) and bassist Jennifer Condos (Ray LaMontagne, Bruce Springsteen). Phillips says of the song: “This is a father to daughter conversation. It’s a song for my daughter, who is just beginning her teen years. Such a strange time to be 14, I would imagine. All the natural growing pains are complicated by a lingering pandemic and a disruption of life. I feel for these kids. And I feel for their parents. The song is a reminder of that bond. While a part of this album is fixated on social issues, in songs like ‘Remember This’ I can speak in the most personal way about and to the people I love.”
The single is taken from the forthcoming album ‘All That You Can Dream’, which is due out on 20th May 2022. Like many artists, Phillips turned to song-writing when his touring schedule was paused indefinitely during the pandemic. He explains: “I found respite in the process when I could do little else. It became a sort of meditation on this time in my life and the events that we’ve collectively experienced. We’ve experienced some staggering events over the past several years or so. When people speak of those things, it’s not enough to simply highlight or underline the headlines of the day. The aim is to tap into the feelings that we share that are trapped beneath our skin—and figure out how we expel those feelings by talking about them. I found that the circumstances of being off the road and left to reflect on what this time feels like, produced a different kind of song. In some ways, that freed me up to write and record the kind of song that was personal and executed as though it were for an audience of myself alone. That’s freeing.” It’s a sensitive, introspective collection of songs that reflect the uncertainties and anxieties of the world we’re currently living in. Look out for the album and, in the meantime, enjoy this.
