Album Premiere: Darrell Scott, Couchville Sessions

A deft lyricist who works in the idioms of folk, blues and classic country, singer-songwriter Darrell Scott has always been a quintessential Americana artist, long before Americana became the inflationary coin of the realm in alternative Nashville.

In his long and variegated career, the Kentucky-born Scott has seen his songs covered by more than 70 artists, from Travis Tritt to Keb ‘Mo to Mary Gauthier. In addition, he’s recorded nine studio albums as a solo artist, all the while working as an in-demand Nashville session player. He was also hand-picked by Robert Plant to join his Band of Joy in 2012.

This month, Scott returns with the sterling Couchville Sessions, a full-length studio offering sporting nine originals and five covers, including Hank Williams’ “Ramblin’ Man,” Johnny Cash’s “Big River,” and Townes Van Zandt’s “Loretta.” The opening track, “Down To The River,” a Scott original, features a spoken-word outro by none other than country-folk legend Guy Clark, who spins a tale about a crow’s nest made out of barbed-wire he once stumbled upon in a windmill derrick.

Of the cover songs on the album, Scott says, “These are songs by some of my heroes. Sometimes I choose them to lighten the seriousness of an album, and sometimes I use a cover to go even heavier. I love to mix chemicals in an album.”

Stream Couchville Sessions below and enjoy the chemical mix.

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