The moment you press play on Gold In Your Pocket, the forthcoming LP from acoustic country duo Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms, out November 15th via Free Dirt Records, you know you’re in for 45 minutes of pure delight.
Klauder and Willms’ music deftly blends traditional country, bluegrass, Cajun, and old-time styles. Recorded in Louisiana and Tennessee, the album is awash in the sounds of those roots music hubs.
With their work, the pair’s goal is to uplift – they consider country music their “soul music,” a unique take on the often sorrowful tones and subjects of country music. For example, album opener “He’s Gone,” penned by Klauder, was inspired by the loss of one of Klauder’s childhood role models. What could be a heartbreaker of a track instead pays tribute to a life well-lived, “a legend that needed no folklore.” They acknowledge a massive earthly loss while rejoicing that heaven is gaining a gem of a character.
In Willms’ “Same Little Heart,” she reminisces about her homeplace, growing up on her family’s farm in Douglas County, Washington. “The dry, dusty, expansive quiet of that place is in my blood and so is the salt of the earth nature of the folks that I come from,” she explains about the song. “Common sense, dry humor, hard work, and coming together are things to live by. I can feel dust in my teeth, and the palpable quiet and overwhelming heat and stillness of a summer day as a little girl, the sweetness of twilight, the brilliant colors that come across the sky as the heat of the day eases into evening.”
Another standout (which is hard to do when you’ve made an album of standouts) is “Shame, Shame, Shame,” which Klauder says is a song for the liars out there, who sadly, are around every corner. This jaunty track is good, finger-wagging, dancehall-ready fun – a two-stepper’s dream.
The title track is an encouragement anthem for those in your life who may need a little extra moral support. In glorious harmony, the duo sings, “I’ll be gold in your pocket, I’ll be water in your well, I’ll be sunshine in your daydream, I’ll be your victory bell.” “Too Far Gone” keeps us twirling across the dancefloor while Willms’ “Faraway Skies,” a wistful campfire song, makes us pull our dance partners in close for a waltz across the sawdust.
Gold In Your Pocket is a brilliant take on perspective – yes, there is sadness, loss, and heartbreak all around us, and Klauder and Willms encourage us to honor our experiences, those hard things that make us who we are. We learn from them, and we (hopefully) become better versions of ourselves. We build community and use those experiences to find common ground and connections with other people. This is exactly what the world needs and Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms meet the moment. Beautifully.
Listen to Gold In Your Pocket by Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms:
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