WITH a Grammy-nominated album under his belt, Brent Cobb spent most of 2017 on the road, touring behind his major label debut, ‘Shine On Rainy Day.’
Anchored by southern storytelling and swampy, country-soul swagger, Shine On Rainy Day had become a critical and commercial hit, earning Cobb a long string of shows with artists like Chris Stapleton and Margo Price. He embraced the road-warriorlifestyle, picking up ideas for new songs every time his band hit the highway.
Somewhere between the whirl of shows, hotels, and truck stops, Providence Canyon began taking shape. During breaks in the band’s schedule, Cobb would return to Nashville—his hometown for a decade, ever since he left his childhood stomping grounds of rural Georgia—and head over to RCA Studio A. There, in an historic studio run by his cousin, producer Dave Cobb, he brewed up a sound that nodded to his previous material while still pushing forward.
Together, they formed his sophomore album, 2018’s ‘Providence Canyon’. Named after a Georgian gully that Cobb often visited as a teenager, Providence Canyon is an evocative, electrified album about a life lived on the run. There are road songs, half-lit drinking tunes, tributes to friends and family, and nostalgic nods to one’s younger years. There are songs about returning home and songs about getting the hell out of dodge. Gluing everything together is the unforced country croon and sharp songwriting of Brent Cobb, who credits his recent touring history for inspiring the album’s quicker pace.
“I’ve always liked the funkier side of country and the funkier side of rock,” he explains. “Those influences have been a partof me for years, but they’re really coming to the forefront now. When you’re touring with Chris Stapleton, and you’re performing to a crowd of 10,000 people before he hits the stage, you find yourself wanting to play something upbeat.”
If ‘Shine On Rainy Day’ felt like a laidback country album for front-porch picking sessions, then Providence Canyon is built for something bigger. This is music for juke joints, pool halls, and roadhouses, filled with electric guitar (performed by Cobb’s touring bandmate, Mike Harris), organ, percussive groove, and harmonies.
And while the album’s recording sessions were spread out across an entire year, each song was captured in a small number of takes with Brent and Dave Cobb relying on instinct and spur-of-the-moment ideas.
The two cousins may have grown up on opposite sides of Georgia, but they share similar backgrounds and musical instincts—two qualities that lend an earthy authenticity to these 11 songs ofthe south.
“It’s in the blood,” Brent says of his connection to his cousin.
“We didn’t grow up together, but we’re so similar in our approaches. It’s important to me to do this with him, because these songs are about the places I’m from, the places I’ve visited, and the people who’ve taken me there.”
Songs like ‘Come Home Soon’ were inspired by Cobb’s daughter.
Brent Cobb is Live at Whelan’s on Tuesday, September 4.
