Exclusive: Jeff Crosby Discusses the Singular Sound of New Album ‘Another Petal Falls off the Rose’

Today (July 26), acclaimed singer/songwriter Jeff Crosby released his seventh studio album Another Petal Falls off the Rose. The Dave Schools-produced album sees Crosby and his band taking a different sonic path to create something that stands out from his previous recordings.

“This album is the sound of a 36-year-old musician/traveler and his band from the Pacific Northwest wading through a mid-life crisis post-pandemic while also falling in love again, attempting to come to terms with a horrible breakup, and avoiding inevitable sobriety,” Crosby explained in a press release.

Ahead of the album’s release, Crosby sat down with American Songwriter to discuss the new sonic direction he took on Another Petal Falls off the Rose, his songwriting process, and more.

Jeff Crosby on the Standout Sound of His New Album

Another Petal Falls off the Rose stands out from Jeff Crosby’s six previous albums. During his conversation with American Songwriter, he credited Schools for the sonic shift.

“I had been talking to Dave Schools (Widespread Panic) about doing an album with him for a while. And I think I’ve never worked with a producer that’s so hands-on,” Crosby said. “Dave likes to take every song, turn it inside out, and make you do something different than you’ve ever done before. Every idea I had, every instinct I had, he was like, ‘Yeah, I figured you’d say that. So, let’s do something completely different.’ That was his approach,” he added.

“He drug me out of my comfort zone and made me make something that stands out from all of my previous records,” he said of working with Schools. “At the end of the day that was the goal. It was cool to work with someone who made me do something different.”

Writing the Songs for Another Petal Falls off the Rose

Jeff Crosby wrote all of the songs for his new album. After listening to the eight-track collection, some may find a theme connecting the songs. There’s a reason for that.

“I wrote a lot of them during the pandemic when I was basically out of work and having to reevaluate what the hell I was doing in general,” Crosby revealed. “It kind of made me take a step back and look at my career and everything I had done and what it would be like if everything was gone and I wasn’t able to do this anymore. That was overshadowing my thought process while I was writing this. I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like if I couldn’t do this anymore,” he added.  “Having that time to sit in the corner and think about everything was the theme of the album.”

Jeff Crosby’s Favorite Song on the Album

Many songwriters have a hard time choosing a favorite song from their albums. Some go so far as to say that it’s akin to picking a favorite child. Crosby, on the other hand, had no problem naming his favorite.

“The title track. ‘Another Petal Falls Off the Rose’ started out as more of a poem. I had pieces of the first and second verses in my journal already. I love songs like that, songs that didn’t really start as music. It wasn’t necessarily a song. It was just themes I had been thinking about,” he said.  “I knew it had to be the title track when we recorded it. The song just captures the theme of the whole record perfectly. It’s definitely my favorite song on the record.”

Another Petal Falls off the Rose is available to stream everywhere today.

Featured Image courtesy of Jeff Crosby