Cari Hutson Finds Hope After Loss On Moving New Single, “The Rescue”

“There is a deep satisfaction in expressing pain through melody,” Cari Hutson told American Songwriter. 

While most songwriters know this to be true, the fact remains the same that in order to get to the “deep satisfaction” part, you must first go through the “pain” part. For Hutson, that pain came this past September when her mother died due to struggles with alcoholism. In the midst of her grief, Hutson turned to melody and penned her own embodiment of that aforementioned satisfaction: her new single entitled “The Rescue.” Dropping on December 3 (just about three months after her mother’s passing), the single speaks to the life-changing experience that Hutson endured.

“This song is a series of questions that have rested heavy on my heart for years — questions that, unfortunately, were answered on September 16, 2020, with the passing of my mother,” she said. “My mother battled alcoholism most of her adult life and it put quite a strain on our relationship. While there was plenty of joy in our time together, there was grief tucked away in the dark corners. There is a quiet pain that comes from watching someone you love drown in addiction. Even when I chose to get loud, it still didn’t change the truth. As it turns out, love only takes you so far.”

Musically, Hutson’s grief is expressed through the single’s ingenious instrumentation, weaving tasteful guitar parts together with her impassioned vocal performance. For her part, Hutson explained that the song came from somewhere deep inside of her. 

“I had years of grief under my belt and words left to say — I put them in this song,” she said. “The words came through me without effort once my husband found some chords and started to strum. We found ourselves in tears around our kitchen table once the song was complete. We found some magic that day. This song is the truth. I don’t know who needs to hear it, I just know that I needed to write it. My mother never got the chance to hear it, but I feel her in each word.”

For her listeners, Hutson hopes that “The Rescue” can offer a sense of hope and solace. “Hope can be found even in pain and dysfunction,” she said. “It’s my intention with the song to incite introspection. Look into the depths of your pain and ask the hard questions. It’s okay to not know the answers. Reach out when you need help. This song is honest, it’s real. Maybe someone will find their own story in this song and find comfort in knowing that sadness, pain and loss is universal.”

“The Rescue” comes ahead of Cari Hutson’s forthcoming EP Salvation and Soul Restoration, due in February 2021. Listen to “The Rescue” below: