Drew Gibson and Maddi Mae ride side-by-side on his smouldering new single and video Burning Horses — showcasing today on Tinntist.
There no shortage of timeless musical duets that have left a lasting mark. Be it Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks, Americana darlings Buddy and Julie Miller or the late Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, there is an intangible found in duets that is mesmerizing. Now you can add Sterling, Virginia’s Drew Gibson and Maddi Mae to that list, courtesy of their memorabl new collaboration Burning Horses.
Gibson says the single was inspired by an episode recap for Lord Of The Rings: Rings of Power, which featured a rather startling, unnerving image. “It represents the heavy machine of industrialization,” Gibson says. “In the scene, there was a horse on fire, running away. I was watching a breakdown of the episode on a YouTube channel and the commentator mentioned the burning horse, and how (author J.R.R.) Tolkien was against industrialization. It clicked with me. That’s where I got the idea for the album theme, the album title, and the title track. The irony of this is not lost on me.”
Written by Gibson, the song opens with accordion from Brian Simms. Both Gibson and Mae sing the opening verse together, and it’s just magical. Finding the groove as Mae provides haunting backing vocals near the homestretch, bassist Kevin De Souza and drummer Ben Tufts are in the proverbial pocket while pedal steel guitarist Dave Hadley accents the song perfectly. Gibson’s electric guitar and synth work is at times subtle but emerges when needed.
Burning Horses is the title track off Gibson’s fifth album, a work that was four years in the making. Like most musicians, Gibson spent much of the pandemic working on new material, much of which found its way onto Burning Horses. “I recorded a lot of the guitars, keyboards, synths, some bass, and pedal steel, at my home studio,” Gibson says. “It began that way because of Covid. Before, I would take a guitar solo here and there, but would mostly give the opportunity to my pedal steel player, Dave Hadley, or keyboardist, Brian Simms. This time around, I said to myself, ‘You know what? I need to do more. I can do more.’ So I did.”
Gibson also says the album’s creative process started deliberately in his basement studio. And while the world and daily life underwent massive restructurings, Gibson pined for simpler times. “Everything is now so connected, so tech-driven, and so hectic in a way,” he says. “I pretty much miss the simple days of biking through the woods, going to a record store, and having a more communal time with family. In some ways, I feel like I’m on a different planet, and I’m homesick for that more romantic time. That’s what this album is all about. It’s about a different time.”
Burning Horses, co-produced by Gibson and Marco Delmar (who also mixed and co-engineered the album), features 10 songs, nine of them written by Gibson, with Gunslinger penned by Gibson and Paul Curreri. Gibson’s guitar style recalls Mark Knopfler on the roots-rock cut What Good Friends We Were and From Our Front Porch. The brings to mind Ray LaMontagne, while How The Border Town Was Born recalls JJ Cale. Low Country, High Wire is another ballad which features Mae’s spine-tingling greatness. If that wasn’t enough, the closing instrumental The Long Good Night: Part II sounds like a fusion of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and Daniel Lanois.
Burning Horses, which also includes contributions from bassist Jon Nazdin and drummer Eric Selby, was recorded at Sterling’s Letterbox Studio, the Recording Arts in Arlington and Ivakota Studios in Washington. Gibson, Delmar, Tufts and Ben Green served as co-engineers while Mike Monseur at Nashville’s Axis Audio mastered the record. The album is Gibson’s fifth following his 2007 debut Letterbox, 2011’s The Southern Draw, 2015’s 1532 and 2019’s Shipbuilder.
Watch the video for Burning Horses above, listen to the album below, and ride over to his website, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
