On August 4th, rising country outfit King Calaway released their long-awaited sophomore album, Tennessee’s Waiting, via Stoney Creek Records. Produced by Grammy-winning hitmaker Zac Brown, and featuring collaborations with Hailey Whitters and Marcus King, the LP is their first new music delivery in four years and signals the next chapter in their journey as a band.
“We’ve grown a lot as people and musicians,” lead guitarist Caleb Miller tells Raised Rowdy. “It’s exciting to put that into one project. 16 songs may seem like a lot, but we have a lot to say.”
With a family-size helping of new tracks, Tennessee’s Waiting is as sonically diverse as it is deep and soul-bearing. From soaring country-rock anthems (hear “Hometown Night” and “Best Thing About Me Now”) to smooth, plaintive ballads (hear “Heathen (feat. Marcus King)”), the album is packed wall-to-wall with infectious melodies and lyrics born from deeply personal experiences.
“We kind of came into this as very young guys,” lead singer Simon Dumas says about the band’s early days. “Now, of course, we’re progressing more into being adults, and it’s fun using music as a channel to talk about that.” (Dumas celebrated his wedding a short five weeks before the album dropped).
He continues: “We have so many more shows under our belt compared to Rivers [the group’s 2019 debut album], so we’ve got a lot of chemistry. The instincts of the band are feeling a lot more in tune with each other.”
Over the next few months, those instincts are sure to get stronger. King Calaway currently holds the opening slot on Zac Brown’s From the Fire Tour. See if they’re coming to your town here, and in the meantime, give Tennessee’s Waiting a listen.
Photo credit: Andres Martinez