HomeEF CountryInterview: Russell Dickerson previews new album 'Southern Symphony'

Interview: Russell Dickerson previews new album ‘Southern Symphony’

Russell Dickerson is proof that hard work eventually pays off after his single ‘Yours’ finally topped the charts after four years.

The song was the first of four consecutive number ones, his latest being current single ‘Love You Like I Used To’, and this week Dickerson is releasing his second album ‘Southern Symphony’. A progression from ‘Yours’, the album is a cohesive and feel-good body of work that’ll help you get through the winter months.

I caught up with Russell recently to discuss the record, talk about stand out track ‘Waiting For You’, and to find out if he’s going to deliver the Christmas project we spoke about back in 2018…

Have you been keeping well during these crazy times?

Yeah. Having a baby and a pregnant wife through all this has been crazy but we’ve just been laying low and figuring out our new life with a baby.

Normally, you’d be on the road and traveling all over the world. Has it been nice to be able to be together? 

I would not trade this time at home for a million arena shows. This time has been so precious, even more so because she was pregnant until September, and then we had our baby. This is time that we will never get back, especially in these super early developmental stages of our son. I get to be home and I get to be here for everything. It’s amazing.

You’re about to give birth to your other baby, which is you new album ‘Southern Symphony’…

Yeah, which is my album baby!

The album is off to a strong start with ‘Love You Like I Used To’ spending multiple weeks at number one. That’s your fourth consecutive number one isn’t it?

Yeah! It’s our fourth number one in a row. I really think that sets the tone for the album. It debunks any fear of a sophomore slump or anything. To lead off with a two-week number one at radio, that’s a big statement for an album. I really do think that’s an accurate representation of the rest of the album. I’m so proud of every single one of these songs and I think they’re all at least at that level or greater. I’m so proud of this album.

This song got to number one a lot quicker than ‘Yours’ did…

Yeah, getting them up there and getting them going faster.

‘Southern Symphony’ feels like a progression from ‘Yours’ and I’d say it’s more cohesive with a stronger over-arching story and theme. Tell me a little bit about putting the record together…

There is a definite growth from the first album. The first album, I was mid 20s so I was just like, ‘this song’s fun, let’s put it on there and let’s put this one on there’. I think this album is way more intentional with the songs that have a little more depth to them, and the songs that have a little more heart to them. That’s the overarching theme. I’ve grown as a songwriter and I wanted to show that in this album like, ‘hey, I’m, here to stay. Me, Casey (Brown) and (Parker Welling), we’re here to stay. These first three number ones weren’t any fluke.’ I just think the songwriting is elevated. We brought in Dan Huff to help us produce this album so the production’s elevated? We stepped it up on this album in every single way.

The track that caught me off guard was ‘Waiting For You’, the album’s closing track, which has an 80s influence and a little bit of a Kenny G inspiration in there…

Absolutely. When we were writing the song, I was like, ‘dude, this song needs to be at the end of a rom-com or something’ and so in my head that was the last track on the album no question. When it came together, Dan Huff called me and he was like, ‘hey, hear me out. Listen, I think we should put a saxophone solo in the song’ and I was like, ‘no, wait… are you joking with me?’ and he was like, ‘no, you need to trust me. Just trust me’ so I was like, ‘alright, let’s do it’. He tracked it and my other producer Casey Brown put all the synth modern elements over that so it wasn’t so like ‘Saturday Night Live’ saxophone. It’s a synthy 1975 kind of vibe. It’s like a cool sax. Dude, that track came together and that’s the one that I can’t stop listening to. I think it has potential pop crossover too.

I keep coming back to ‘Forever for a Little While’ too. There’s a Wallflowers reference in there, isn’t there?

Oh, yeah!

Russell Dickerson
Credit Triple Tigers

I was listening to the song and I heard the reference to ‘One Headlight’ and I thought, ‘that’s got to be a Wallflowers reference right?’

Oh, yeah, 100%. You nailed it, bro. My wife was like ‘singing to one headlight? Like, you’re singing into the light?’ and I was like, ‘no babe, One Headlight, it’s one of the most iconic songs of the 90s!’ That video was amazing and that song is iconic.

This is a really positive feel-good record that’s perfect for the times we’re in. What were the challenges of getting it ready for release?

Obviously, all the COVID stuff. Luckily though we already had all the major parts already recorded so we didn’t have to get a bunch of people piled in a studio. I just had to go to my producer’s house to sing all the vocals and stuff. Really it was more just the scheduling because we all had coordinate digitally. I literally mixed my record through these headphones on a live stream with our mix engineer. Honestly, it was a different experience but I loved it. I got to really sit down and dig into the sonic elements of my album, and really dive deep. Normally I wouldn’t have had the time or mental capacity to do that because we’d be on the road and I’d like get an email like, ‘hey, what do you think of this mix?’ I’d listen to it and send a couple of tweaks, then I have to go play a show again. It’s so busy on the road. During this time off, I got to really dive into the sonic elements.

Not only that, time to create and think about how do we make this album launch the biggest thing possible? I was like, ‘you know what, we’ll shoot a movie that previews every single track from the album, top to bottom’. We got people from Hollywood to be a part of this whole short film. It starts off with me and my wife and our little baby pulling up to the ‘Southern Symphony’ motel. We’re checking in and then the camera goes past you to this smoky dancehall and they’re boot scootin’ boogie to ‘Never Get Old’, the first song on that album. Then it follows this couple for ‘All Years All Night’ and they go into their hotel where they’re kissing and stuff. There’s this continuous shot and it previews every single song on the album within eight minutes. It’s the beautifully shot. I’ve never been a part of this big a production. This album deserves a freakin’ movie to go along with it.

Fans expect so much more than a traditional album release from artists now so they’re going to love a short film…

Yeah, exactly. Even now it’s like, ‘well, let’s do a Zoom concert’ but that’s been done and everybody’s doing that. I don’t think anybody’s done a short film to go along with an entire album. There’s been short films for single songs as music videos but to put an entire album in a short film… I don’t know if anybody’s ever done that.

When are we going to get that?

I think it’s gonna be a couple days before as a little teaser teaser leading up to the album.

The last time I saw you in the UK was playing at The Borderline in 2018, a venue which has sadly closed down now, and that was such an epic night…

Oh so epic! That was the little club basement right?

Yeah that’s the one…

Oh man, that was such a good night. To come all the way overseas to be surprised by people singing all my songs. I can’t wait for that. I can’t wait to have the second album full of these songs and hop the pond and just hear everybody sing these songs man. That is the most legendary feeling.

This album was made to play live so I can’t wait to see you perform it whenever you do manage to get over here…

Yeah. Whatever venue, wherever we’re at, I’m freaking out. I can’t wait to play these live and hear everybody singing along.

When we last spoke we talked about the possibility of turning ‘Yours’ into a Christmas song and I noticed it’s not happened yet. You’ve failed me Russell!

I failed you! We were actually talking about Christmas and I think that’s a real possibility, to make ‘Yours’ a Christmas version. Why not?

I need it in my life!

You know what? I do too. There’s a Christmas ‘Yours’ sized hole in both of our hearts.

Is a Christmas project something you might consider in the future?

100% My wife and I talk about it, especially around this time of year. Maybe next year? I don’t know.

I’m excited because I have no idea what a Christmas album from you would sound like…

That’s what we talk about. If we did one, what direction would we take? Would it be the big band? Would it be the acoustic bluesy jazz? Would it be poppish? Would it be just straight Alabama country? I don’t know. What does the Russell Dickerson country album sound like? That’s what we’re trying to figure out first and then then we’ll get in the studio and make one.

Are you going to get some time to enjoy the holidays this year and spend time with the family?

Yeah, we are. Probably for the first time in a long time. We’re usually not done on the road until December around the 16th. All we have to do is is get this album out. My full focus is on album release and once that’s out to the world, and we push that and keep going for a couple of weeks, we’re wrapped up. I’m really looking forward to time at home with my wife and my little baby, and spending time with family and eating some turkey.

Russell Dickerson’s new album ‘Southern Symphony’ is released on Friday 4th December 2020. Watch the music video for ‘Love You Like I Used To’ below:

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Pip Ellwood-Hughes Editor / Owner
Pip is the owner and Editor of Entertainment Focus, and the Managing Director of Piñata Media.

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