“A strong sense of melody meets old fashioned song craft“
– Paul Sexton, Bob Harris Country Show
A trip to Nashville surrounded by the music that soundtracked his life in Cheshire results in Northern country musician Rob Wheeler’s new album Leave Tomorrow. With two well-received albums under his belt, UK Northern country artist Rob Wheeler releases his latest record Leave Tomorrow, out now. These songs were written during a four-month stint in Nashville, Tennessee, a collaborative effort with a multitude of acclaimed musicians, among them Grammy-nominated songwriters Jeff Trott, Steve Dorff and Frank Liddell.
Having grown up in a small town in England’s grey North West, becoming obsessed with The Beatles and learning the songs of Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and The Eagles on guitar as a means of escape, Leave Tomorrow is a full-circle moment for Rob Wheeler, bringing his worlds of UK and American music together. As Rob says; ‘Growing up in the North West of England, Nashville represented to me what I imagine Hollywood represents to aspiring actors. A mythical land that seems both untouchable and utterly irresistible.“
‘My American heroes sang about cowboys and horses, desperados and drifters; but I write and sing about what I see from my own window and how it feels from my point of view.’ Rob understands how to use a strong melody and lyrics to tell a story with several layers. There’s the striking and swelling ‘Whisper’, the slow sway of ‘Something About Your Eyes’, and the moving ‘Goodbye Summer’, described by Rob as ‘a moving farewell to lost youth and the changing seasons of age’.
Of the album, Rob says that in some ways, it’s about ‘overcoming the fear of not being good enough and realising what being good enough actually means’, something he knows from experience given his turbulent background. Yet with the expansive ‘When You Can’t Let Go’ building from an acoustic-led intro into a full-blown ballad (and featuring the vocals of Marla Cannon-Goodman), his songwriting abilities prove that his strengths lie in songcraft, and absolutely are worthy of being seen as more than ‘good enough’.
This runs home with the closing track ‘Mount Juliet’, a stunning ode to the Nashville suburb, written almost as a letter to his struggling younger self as he tells him to hold on for what lies ahead. What lies ahead is built on the foundations of what has gone before. Rob’s debut album A Little Ghost Full of Songs came out in 2018, leading to global publishing and label deals. The follow-up Ten Embers was produced during the pandemic, on which he collaborated with many Nashville session musicians.
This led to him being encouraged to make the journey to the Tennessee city, but not before he was signed by Bucks Music Group in an exclusive worldwide songwriting agreement, with their head of sync Jonathan Tester commenting, ‘rather than following fashion or trying to appease a scene, Rob’s approach to songwriting is to grab a guitar and pour his heart out. His drive and commitment to his craft is incredible.’ You can hear that commitment for yourself, as Rob sings some live gigs with support from special guest Hughzy starting this week. For full details check out his website
Image above ?(c) Mark Kaye
