Some touring artists consider the road a lonesome place, but Tift Merritt seems to revel in the journey. While much of her new album, Traveling Alone, was written in her current hometown of New York City, there's motion to the songs. Whether she's searching for a sweet spot, trying hard to get home or offering up a guide to holding on to moments of stillness, the travel inspires. From the joyful side of the road comes this song, "To Myself."
In her latest visit to WFUV, Merritt spoke with host Claudia Marshall about the song's theme of abundance ("There's so much to go around") and the day she wrote it: "It was a really lovely morning, and I had been on tour, and I had the whole morning — and that just felt like luxury. I think when every once in awhile you realize that a morning, or a leaf, or a piece of fruit [laughs] is just this gorgeous luxury ... I think that's a really good place to live, and I just wanted to kind of steep myself in that feeling in that song."
Merritt made this album with limited assistance — label- and manager-free, but with producer Tucker Martine and an incredible band — and the pure country-soul of her voice stands tall. In this session, she's joined by Tony Leone (drums), Jay Brown (bass and vocals) and Eric Heywood (pedal steel and guitar).
Watch "To Myself" here, and then check out the rest of Merritt's session at WFUV.org.
Credits
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