JERRY DOUGLAS Releases ‘The Set,’ First Album In Seven Years
JERRY DOUGLAS
RELEASES FIRST NEW ALBUM IN SEVEN YEARS
THE SET
WITH WIDESPREAD EARLY PRAISE
PERFORMING TONIGHT AT
BOURBON & BEYOND FESTIVAL
IN LOUISVILLE, KY
TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE
BLUEGRASS MUSIC HALL OF FAME
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
Above: ‘The Set’ cover art, painted by Willy Matthews
NASHVILLE, TN (September 20, 2024) — The highly acclaimed musician JERRY DOUGLAS has released The Set, his first album in seven years, via Nolivian Records along with widespread early praise. Known as the preeminent master of the resophonic guitar, he’s also a 16x GRAMMY Award-winning recording artist, band leader, producer, composer, and a member of Alison Krauss and Union Station since 1998, among many other accolades.
The Set finds the American music luminary showcasing five new offerings and six revitalized songs from his catalog. Available on all DSPs as well as in physical formats including CDs and 180-gram vinyl, DOUGLAS says he’s “proud of it. I’ve left no stone unturned.” Adding: “I’ve been producing records for a long time, so I really, really put on that hat for this record. Usually, I like instrumentalists to have free rein in whatever they do. It’s the way they speak. If anybody had an idea, we chased it down to the end. I feel like it’s really finished. I’m really happy with the outcome of this whole experience.”
STREAM/ORDER THE SET HERE.
Above: Jerry Douglas; credit: Scott Simontacchi
EARLY PRAISE FOR JERRY DOUGLAS AND THE SET:
“The new collection [The Set] summons Douglas’ impressive experience as a virtuosic session musician and road warrior, digging deep into his repertoire to craft a collection reflexive of his live shows.”
— RELIX, July 11, 2024
“Dobro royalty Jerry Douglas… gearing up to release a new record with the Jerry Douglas Band, The Set…the record aims to mirror what an audience might hear at a live Jerry Douglas show, showcasing a dreamy, sonically sparkling sound through Douglas' fluttery dobro.”
— Audrey Gibbs, THE TENNESSEAN, September 18, 2024
“Jerry Douglas looks back, and forward, as he prepares to enter the Bluegrass Hall of Fame…the preeminent player of his instrument…Douglas continues to collaborate with young players who are expanding bluegrass, as he has…Douglas will release The Set, his first album in seven years…Douglas intends to keep taking chances.”
— Sean Moores,NO DEPRESSION, September 16, 2024
“‘What Might Have Been’ is a haunting new song from Jerry Douglas’ upcoming album The Set…an instrumental ode to regret, ‘What Might Have Been’ is lifted by Aoife O’Donovan’s ethereal wordless vocals.”
— Jonathan Aird, AMERICANA UK, September 18, 2024
“Jerry Douglas…an iconic dobro player.”
— Garret K. Woodward,ROLLING STONE, September 2, 2024
“Dobro legend Jerry Douglas…developing his own unique style of playing…for him, the instrument has a ‘voice’ all its own…he celebrates the release of his new album The Set which features new twists on six favorites from the past, and five songs that are all new. Even after so many years, Douglas still loves creating new music.”
— Pam Windsor, FORBES, July 29, 2024
“The dobro master teams with an awesome band to remind us what a spectacular melody this 1968 Beatles classic [‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’] has. In addition to the poetic, emotive Douglas lead, the track features sweet notes from fiddle, bowed bass and Telecaster. The prettiest instrumental I’ve heard all year.”
— Robert K Oermann, MUSICROW, July 11, 2024
“The song [‘Something You Got’] finds Douglas in the driver’s seat as he takes viewers into the realm of live performance, a pinnacle of his stardom…Douglas embraces a lighter, increasingly upbeat tone, which helps establish the strength of the album’s [The Set] sonic focal point as pure acoustic splendor.”
— RELIX, August 15, 2024
The lead single from The Set, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” finds The Jerry Douglas Band delivering a poignant rendition of the Beatles’ 1968 classic. With DOUGLAS on dobro, Daniel Kimbro on bass, Christian Sedelmyer on fiddle, and Mike Seal on guitar bring raw talent to the forefront, breathing new life into this timeless track.
“I love how easy it was to play the song,” says DOUGLAS, the 30x International Bluegrass Music Association Award recipient. “It just lays perfectly for the dobro. It gives you all the latitude you need to play the whole song from end to end, in different octaves. That melody always got me, but I never tried to play it. And when I did, it was like, ‘Wow! Why haven’t I done this before?’”
WATCH THE “WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS” PERFORMANCE VIDEO BELOW:
On August 16, DOUGLAS released the second look at the album, “Something You Got.” Originally written and performed by R&B artist Christopher Kenner in 1961, “Something You Got” gets a fresh take from DOUGLAS. This track reimagines the 2012 collaboration between DOUGLAS and Eric Clapton on DOUGLAS’ Traveler album, now with DOUGLAS taking the lead vocals. Lighter and more upbeat, this revamped version serves as one of the many highlights from The Set.
For the new album, DOUGLAS also turned to his bandmates for material, including Mike Seal’s “Renee,” Christian Sedelmyer’s “Deacon Waltz,” and Daniel Kimbro’s “Loyston.” In addition, the four musicians collaborated on “The Fifth Season,” a concerto commissioned by the FreshGrass Foundation. The Set tracklisting concludes with two instrumentals, “Pushed Too Far” and “Sir Aly B.”
TRACK LISTING FOR THE SET:
“Gone to Fortingall”
“Renee”
“What Might Have Been” featuring Aoife O’Donovan
“From Ankara to Ismir”
“Something You Got”
“Deacon Waltz”
“The Fifth Season”
“While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
“Loyston”
“Pushed Too Far”
“Sir Aly B”
CATCH JERRY DOUGLAS LIVE:
Above: The Jerry Douglas Band
L-R: Christian Sedelmyer, Daniel Kimbro, Jerry Douglas, Mike Seal