Start the countdown and get out your Sunday best, Childers is fixin’ to take us to church.
Tyler Childers started hinting at his long-awaited return a few days ago by posting some cryptic video teasers to his social media, which until that point had been completely stagnant since his last album Long Violent History.
Well, today he finally clued us in that his first release since September of 2020 will be premiering tomorrow morning at 8am ET, and if what we’ve seen so far holds, it’s going to be pretty incredible.
He also posted a 2-minute trailer to YouTube, which makes me wonder if it’s a song, an album, an EP or some Sound and Fury type cohesive project.
Regardless, it sure seems like this is going to be some downhome, Appalachian Gospel, which would confirm our suspicions that he’s been working on that type of project in his time away.
Safe to say, country music is better when Childers is making music and I, and everyone with a pulse, couldn’t be more excited.
HALLELUJAH.
Could Tyler Childers Be Working On A Gospel Album?
An ever-present theme in his songwriting has always been notions of God, faith, religion and spirituality. Like many in Appalachia, Tyler is no stranger to growing around the church, and it’s reflected in his music.
I mean, his first two albums are literally titled, Bottles and Bibles and Purgatory. And a number of his past songs either nod to Christianity, or have a spiritual feel to it, with songs like “Hard Times,” “Bottles and Bibles,” “Born Again,” “Purgatory,” “The Gospel (According to Fishermen),” “Universal Sound,” and “Follow You To Virgie,” just to name a few.
But with some of the new stuff he’s been playing, could we be seeing a Tyler Childers Gospel record on the horizon?
There’s a lot of signs that point to yes, considering there have been some videos surfacing of him singing a handful of what seem to be Gospel-inspired songs, and covering some others as well.
“Triune God”
An old fashioned boot stomper of a Southern tent revival song… you could play this one at the Sunday service.
“Luke Chapter 2 Verses 8-10”
Dubbed his “first Christmas song” this new one with the working title “Luke Chapter 2 Verses 8-10” ponders what it would’ve been like when the angels appeared to the shepherds on the day Jesus was born.
And then, he’s been regularly covering some other Gospel-inspired songs as well.
“The Old Country Church” (Hank Williams cover)
All-time classic.
“Greatest Story Ever Told (Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead cover)”
Not a Christian song per se, but with mentions of Moses, Abraham, Gideon and Isaac, as well as the title being a common name of the Gospel, there’s a lot of Biblical imagery going on there.
Tyler also recently performed it with Bob Weir and the Wolf Bros:
Now there’s one thing we all know about the man, and it’s that he has one of the most powerful voices in all of country music, and can deliver a message through song as well as anybody.
But whether it’s a Gospel-inspired album or not, I’m just hoping we get something soon from the man… we’re hungry for it.
I’m diggin’ this new one too… it’s about big asses.
