Anderson East debuted today his song “Learning,” which will appear on the Southern Family compilation album from renowned producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell) out March 18. The song is the third preview of the album, Miranda Lambert’s “Sweet By and By” and John Paul White’s “Simple Song” serving as the first tastes of what’s to come.
The record comprises stories of being raised in the south, and Anderson East’s “Learning” is raucous and uplifting, a bluesy number steeped in the bright horns of gospel-tinted rock. It’s Van Morrison and Ray LaMontagne; it’s Bob Seger making “Night Moves” with a Mississippi delta preacher’s daughter. East’s vocals are raspy, with fire-breathing soul.
“It takes a man to teach a man / I thank the lord for his guiding hand / and I’m learning, learning to be a man,” East sings.
“Somebody said, ‘You should make a concept record,’ and I kind of giggled about it for a second,” Cobb says in a release. “But, then I thought, man, wouldn’t it be amazing to have all my friends on one record and really find a common thread? Southern Family, about their mothers, grandparents, kids, siblings, these detailed stories about how they grew up and their families and the things that make them who they are.” He adds, “This really encapsulates Nashville right now. There’s something to it. There’s something in the air. There’s a lot of great things about Nashville. There’s something here that doesn’t exist anywhere else in my lifetime. I’m sure this happened in London in the ‘60s and California in the ‘70s and maybe New York in the late ’50s or early ‘60s. But I think, right now, Nashville is the home of music.”
SOUTHERN FAMILY TRACK LIST
1. John Paul White “Simple Song”
2. Jason Isbell “God Is A Working Man”
3. Brent Cobb “Down Home”
4. Miranda Lambert “Sweet By and By”
5. Morgane Stapleton with Chris Stapleton “You Are My Sunshine”
6. Zac Brown “Grandma’s Garden”
7. Jamey Johnson “Momma’s Table”
8. Anderson East “Learning”
9. Holly Williams “Settle Down”
10. Brandy Clark “I Cried”
11. Shooter Jennings “Can You Come Over”?
12. Rich Robinson (featuring The Settles Connection) “The Way Home”
PASTE PRESENTS: ANDERSON EAST “DEVIL IN ME TOUR”
February 4—Richmond, VA—The Broadberry*
February 5—Baltimore, MD—Sound Stage Baltimore*
February 6—Charlottesville, VA—The Southern*
February 9—Vienna, VA—Jammin’ Java* (SOLD OUT)
February 11—Philadelphia, PA—World Cafe Live*
February 12—New York, NY—Bowery Ballroom* (SOLD OUT)
February 13—Boston, MA—Brighton Music Hall* (SOLD OUT)
February 14—Northampton, MA—Pearl Street*
February 16—Pittsburgh, PA—The Club at Stage AE*
February 18—Cincinnati, OH—20th Century Theater*
February 19—Indianapolis, IN—The Hi-Fi* (SOLD OUT)
February 20—Milwaukee, WI—Shank Hall*
February 21—Evanston, IL—SPACE* (SOLD OUT)
February 23—Minneapolis, MN—Varsity Theater*
February 24—Des Moines, IA—Vaudeville Mews*
February 25—Kansas City, MO—The Riot Room*
February 27—Denver, CO—Larimer Lounge† (SOLD OUT)
February 29—Salt Lake City, UT—The State Room†
March 3—Spokane, WA—The Bartlett†
March 4—Seattle, WA—Tractor Tavern†
March 5—Vancouver, BC—The Cobalt†
March 6—Portland, OR—Mississippi Studios†
March 8—Sacramento, CA—Harlow’s†
March 10—Mill Valley, CA—Sweetwater Music Hall†
March 11—San Francisco, CA—The Independent†
March 12—West Hollywood, CA—The Troubadour† (SOLD OUT)
March 13—Solana Beach, CA—Belly Up Tavern†
March 19—Nashville, TN—Basement East‡ (SOLD OUT)
March 24—Louisville, KY—Headliners Music Hall*
March 25— Atlanta, GA—Terminal West at King Plow Arts Center*
March 26— Birmingham, AL—WorkPlay Theatre* (SOLD OUT)
June 9-12—Manchester, TN—Bonnaroo
July 15-17—Louisville, KY—Forecastle Festival
*with special guest Andrew Combs
†with special guest Dylan Leblanc
‡with special guest Brent Cobb