Something natural, SINGLE/VIDEO: JUSTIN RUTLEDGE – “Passages”
Justin Rutledge – ‘Passages’, out 31 May 2019, is available for pre-order now at Bandcamp.
by Walter Price
As the award-winning singer-songwriter Justin Rutledge nears the release of his latest album, ‘Passages’, I’ve had a closer dozen or so more listens to the set’s title track. I’d already accepted the notion that this song is a beautifully constructed love song. An assurance to his young (and growing) family, that life is good. Perhaps perfect. Yet, I’ve started to think that the lyrics could also be a metaphor for change. An ode to ‘no matter what, we’ll be fine’. The weight of responsibility motivates contemplation.
The video, directed by Matt Raudsepp and Kyle Gatehouse, cements the idiom of the home is where the heart is. And I like to assume this is Rutledge’s actual family home as he spends a winter’s day preparing warm delights. Adding even more natural emotional strength to this already mighty lullaby.
Whether this single is just a straight forward celebration of foreverness and/or an acceptance of a foundation sturdy enough to withstand any weight, the fact that Rutledge’s brilliance as a lyricist remains intact. Let’s hope that this new album isn’t a swansong…
JUSTIN RUTLEDGE
Article cover photo by Paul Wright
