Cover Photo by Sierra Haney
20 years after their last release, The Great Divide is back. The Red Dirt pioneers experienced great success while laying the framework for what the modern scene is today, but when lead singer and songwriter Mike McClure left in 2003 and the years went on, we stopped expecting any new work coming out from The Great Divide for a long time. Well, now we got it. On October 28th, their new album Providence was finally released.
Kicking off the record is “Wrong Is Overrated,” which right away delivers a very fresh, yet familiar sound from their classic work that we all know and love. McClure’s songwriting is already shining right off the bat on the first track. “I Can Breathe Again” is an insanely well-written love song that is also beautifully put together on the instrumental side. Following that is “Good Side,” which expresses hope and the act of looking forward to finding the light in the darkness that we’ve all been through at some point. There’s also the nice progression of the simple chord in the intro to such a full organ-led sound towards the back end of the track. “Set It All Down” is a great follow-up that explores similar themes equally as well.
A standout on this album is “Slippin’ Away,” which right away gives off a reggae/beachy-influenced vibe that is pulled off flawlessly. It is wonderfully produced and performed, which is a common theme on the record. The lyricism and wordplay that McClure strings together is spotlighted in the next track, “Heaven Is High,” with twangy riffing to complement his vocals. Speaking of riffing, there is a great performance of steel guitar on the tune “My Sweet Lily” as well, holding the verses together. “Until We Cross” and “Into The Blue” are both solid songs that demonstrate the versatility and talent of each band member, with “Infinite Line” rounding out the record. This is a nice blues-rock styled track that is both sonically and literally electric all the way around, with the cherry on top being some killer organ.
Make sure to give The Great Divide’s newest album Providence a listen and support these Red Dirt legends. We look forward to (hopefully) more music to come, but in the meantime, listen for yourself!