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Rachel Brooke Discusses Her Forthcoming Solo Acoustic Album, Reveals Release Date and More (Exclusive)
Singer/songwriter Rachel Brooke pulls back the curtain on her new solo acoustic album, shares the release date, and more.
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Earlier this month, singer/songwriter Rachel Brooke took to social media to announce that she had been on âsomewhat of a writing spreeâ for a couple of years and was preparing to release three new albums. The first of the three, Rachel Brooke Sings Sad Songs, a collection of original songs and covers for the sorrowfully inclined will hit streaming platforms this spring.
Ahead of the albumâs release, Brooke sat down with American Songwriter to talk about the writing process, what she hopes people will get from the record and more.
Rachel Brooke Sings Sad Songs is something of a return to form for the singer/songwriter. Longtime fans who fell in love with her early solo acoustic work and want more of that will find it on the new release. At the same time, she isnât looking to make huge waves in the industry with the album. Instead, she hopes others will resonate with what she has to say.
âI just want people to relate to it,â Brooke said of the album. âThis record is an honest side of myself. All I want is for people to relate to that. If people can relate to your art, thatâs success to me. My hope is that people can feel the emotion in the songs and connect to it,â she added.
Rachel Brooke Sings Sad Songs is a collection that spans years. It contains mostly original songs with a few covers to round out the tracklist.
âThe last couple of years, Iâve been writing a lot. Mostly, Iâve been writing for these two records that are more fully produced and with a band but I havenât been limiting myself to a certain style,â Brooke explained. âSo, the songs that are on this record come from a bunch of different areas. Thereâs songs that I wrote in the last year or so, thereâs songs that I co-wrote with my husband, and thereâs a song that a close friend of mine wrote that he never released but Iâm putting it on this album because itâs a beautiful sad song. Then, thereâs a couple of covers,â she said. âItâs an interesting record but itâs not unlike the stuff that I did long ago.â
In her post announcing the album, Rachel Brooke mentioned that she was going through hard times and turned to songwriting to help pull her out of them. In a way, it worked.
âThe bigger problem might not be fixed but it was a great way to get through it and maybe distract myself and find a healthy way to cope and understand myself which I think is the goal in life,â Brooke revealed. âI feel like if youâre suffering you have to try to understand why and whatâs going on. If you can find good ways to understand that instead of some negative coping mechanism, you can find a way out or a way through,â she added. âSo, I wouldnât say Iâm good now but I will say it helped me explore whatâs going on a little bit more.â
Brooke also revealed that she has been working on the other two albums much longer than this one. However, she felt compelled to release Sad Songs first. âIâve been working on these other songs in the studio for a year or so but this one came last. I did it almost like I needed to do it. It was like, âI need to just get away from the noise.â It was just a really stressful time and I ended up getting this one done way quicker. Iâm pretty happy that itâs first,â she explained.
Rachel Brooke Sings Sad Songs contains three stellar coversâNirvanaâs âAll Apologiesâ Hank Williamsâ âWeary Blues from Waitingâ and John Hartfordâs âGentle on My Mind.â During our conversation, she revealed how each of the tracks fits into the Sad Songs tracklist.
ââGentle on My Mindâ is very specific. The album is Rachel Brooke Sings Sad Songs and that was a song that my dad loved so much. My dad was a musician. Heâs the one who taught me pretty much everything,â Brooke explained. âWhen we would play out, he would perform that song. I would look over at him and Iâd see tears in his eyes and I knew he was thinking of somebody and it was moving to him,â she recalled. âWhen he died, part of that song was in his obituary because he loved that song. So, I sang that song as a sad song for him. Itâs a very special song,â she added.
âI chose âAll Apologiesâ because the lyrics to that song are sad. I donât know if most people would necessarily feel that about âAll Apologiesâ but, to me, it is,â Brooke said. âItâs all about being at fault and guilt. Itâs a lot of the story of my life. I relate to Kurt Cobain a lot. I was young when he died but Nirvana was still very popular in my teenage years,â she added.
âThen, âWeary Blues from Waitingâ is one of the saddest Hank Williams songs in the world. I chose that one because Iâve been singing it live for years. Itâs a beautiful song and itâs very, very sad and I enjoy singing it,â Brooke explained.
Rachel Brooke Sings Sad Songs will hit streaming platforms on March 28. While she doesnât plan to share any singles from the collection ahead of its release, fans can pre-save the album today.
Tracklist
âLonely Old Bummerâ âLittle Lost Loveâ âIâm Doing Just Fineâ âLike No Otherâ âDying on Vacationâ âYou Moreâ âGentle on My Mindâ âGood Newsâ âWeary Blues from Waitingâ âSuffering Loveâ âBad Habitâ âCurrently the Foolâ âAll Apologiesâ âSilver LiningsâFeatured Image via Rachel Brooke
