t bone burnette w/lucius, “the race is won”
from: the other side, 2024
“The race was on, the end was nigh
The light was gone, the wind was high
The race was on, the end drew nigh
The light was gone, the stakes were high
At the speed of light, times the speed of light
Day from day, night from night
out of nowhere
and out of sight until the race is won
The race was on, the end was nigh
The light was gone, the wind was high
I can’t see the wind but I can see it shake the trees
And I can’t see gravity but I can see him drop to his knees
She leaned against the wall, the smoke
hung in a pall, as he began his fall
The race was on, the end was nigh
The light was gone, the stakes were high
The race was on, the end was nigh
The light was gone, the wind was high
As we witness life emerge the race is won
Everything that rises must converge
And the race is won
As I look out from behind these bars
The race is won
I can see you and the stars and the race is won
A tendency toward life a current we cannot escape
An edge sharper than any knife
A shape without shape
The race was on, the end was nigh
The light was gone, the stakes was high
”
The new T-Bone Burnett record The Other Side has just slid into the marketplace and it is an elegant affair. Carefully crafted, instrumentally adept, winsomely poetic and in short, life- affirming. Though perhaps more appreciated for his production chops on the recordings of others, it should not be forgotten that Bob Dylan tapped him as the principle guitarist for his famed Rolling Thunder Revue in 1975. His solo records and film scores (Oh Brother Where Art Thou) are peppered with high points. “The Race is On” is a mystical and abstract delicate delight, wherein Jesse Wolfe and Holly Laessing from the band Lucius, chorally ballet with T-Bone. And its placid aura blesses our doubt-ridden moments!
Ms. Shapton, visual artist and graphic novelist
“artistic discipline and athletic discipline are kissing cousins, they require the same thing, an unspecial practice: tedious and pitch-black invisible, private as guts, but always sacred.”