Reckless Kelly Announces Two New Albums for 2020
Reckless Kelly won’t be releasing a new record in 2020, they’ll be releasing two of them. American Girls and American Jackpot will both see the light of day on May 22nd via Thirty Tigers as a double album concept. According to lead vocalist and guitar player Willy Braun, the band was planning to release American Jackpot in 2019, but then they had the idea of doing a double album after recording sessions for the initial album went so well and they just kept on pumping out songs.
“I’ve always wanted to write an America-themed record, but not in some super-political or ‘rah rah rah’ sort of way,” says Willy Braun, who also helped produce the two albums. “I wanted to tell stories of everyday life, and the kinds of things that nearly everybody experiences growing up in this country.” And apparently it took two albums to do that right.
Along with the current Reckless Kelly lineup that now includes Ryan Engleman of the Turnpike Troubadours, the double album set includes collaborations with Gary Clark Jr., Wade Bowen, Bukka Allen, Jeff Crosby, Charlie Sexton, Rosie Flores, Shawn Sahm, Muzzie Braun, Suzy Bogguss, and others. It’s also the first album since long-time guitarist David Abeyta left the band. Brothers Willy and Cody Braun co-founded Reckless Kelly in 1996 with drummer Jay Nazz.
Ahead of the two albums, a new song called “I Only See You With My Eyes Closed” has been released (listen below).
“I wrote the beginnings of a second verse on a long van ride after being woken up by the church bells next door in Nuremberg, Germany and out of one of those lucid dreams where you don’t really know whether you’re awake or not,” says Willy Braun. “I wanted the song to have the feel of those same dreams when you drift from one thing to another, so Cody and Charlie Sexton played some spooky ambient stuff on top of Jeff Crosby’s main guitar track and we faded them all in and out to try to get that lucid half-dreaming half-awake effect. There’s a lot going on, but Jim Scott did an excellent job mixing the track to capture that dreamlike vibe.”
TRACK LISTINGS:
American Girls
1. I Only See You With My Eyes Closed
2. American Girls
3. All Over Again (Break Up Blues)
4. Miss Marissa
5. Lonesome On My Own
6. Anyplace That’s Wild
7. Lost Inside The Groove
8. No Dancing In Bristol
9. Don’t Give Up On Love
10. My Home Is Where Your Heart Is
American Jackpot
1. North American Jackpot
2. Thinkin’ ‘Bout You All Night
3. Tom Was A Friend Of Mine
4. 42
5. Mona
6. Another New Year’s Day
7. Grandpa Was A Jack Of All Trades
8. Put On Your Brave Face Mary
9. Company Of Kings
10. Goodbye Colorado
January 31, 2020 @ 9:02 am
Ryan Engleman playing guitar on the album?
January 31, 2020 @ 9:55 am
That’s definitely Ryan Engleman on the left in the band photo, but I’m not sure if he plays on the album proper. He may have come into the picture a little too late to contribute. I have that inquiry into their peeps, and will let you know. Engleman and Reckless Kelly are also here at Mile 0 Fest this week in Florida, so if I bump into them, I’ll ask.
January 31, 2020 @ 10:05 am
I saw him in the picture which is why I asked. He had just recently joined when we saw them in September so I was wondering. I’m stoked either way. That would just be a bonus.
January 31, 2020 @ 9:14 am
Good on em, these will be solid!
January 31, 2020 @ 9:47 am
Can’t wait. I will be taking May 22nd off of work so I can sit home and listen to these all damn day.
January 31, 2020 @ 10:34 am
I don’t know if this is going to make sense, but when I think of Reckless Kelly, I think about how higher profile independent bands are blown out of proportion quality wise, whereas Reckless Kelly is a slightly lower-profile artist that actually IS that damn good.
“Long Night Moon” was a life-changing song for me. I wish it was in their setlist rotation.
January 31, 2020 @ 4:45 pm
That whole album has a wonderful flow. I wish they had played more from it during their shows at the time. Regardless, they always put a great set list together.
Definitely looking forward to the new stuff.
February 6, 2020 @ 9:13 am
Agreed with both. I feel like Long Night Moon is one of their 2 best albums and yet they rarely play *any* songs live from it any more. Maybe because it isn’t as much of a rocker
January 31, 2020 @ 10:44 am
Cant wait, Reckless is a band that has been able to create solid music though all the trends they have lived through and still keep it RK sounding.
January 31, 2020 @ 12:18 pm
I love it! That is all, carry on!
January 31, 2020 @ 7:17 pm
I can’t wait for this album. I saw an article on FB today with this same picture only with Ryan Engleman cut out. Any significance to that?
January 31, 2020 @ 11:30 pm
Huh. Not sure what that’s about. Communicated with their team today about Engleman, and if he’d been 86’d, I’m sure they would have mentioned that.
February 3, 2020 @ 1:01 am
Maybe he was the one who talked them into recording a Buckcherry song on their album last year.