Dusty Grant, a singer/songwriter from Wichita, Kansas, released a new single, "Oceans", April 8th, 2022, with his full band, and this song is already making an impact with streaming numbers on Spotify and views of the video on YouTube steadily rising daily. The song was written and produced by Grant, along with guitarist Jason Catlett. Chris Dawson handled additional production duties, along with mixing and recording. Mastering was done by Mike Kalajian.
Along with Grant and Catlett, the rest of the band, which was formed in 2021, includes: Bwana Villa (vocals); Shane Harper (drums); and Chris McNutt (bass). "Oceans" is the first full-band single Grant has released.
Grant states in a press release, " 'Oceans' is the first song I wrote with my lead guitarist Jason Catlett to introduce the full-band sound. We wrote it together after we experienced the unexpected loss of a close mutual friend." "We'd been friends and worked together for a long time around the scene in a lot of different capacities," Grant says about his relationship with Catlett. "But this is actually the first song we wrote together and it's the first full-band release. It's a song with a deep meaning to all of us in the band." The word that comes to mind to describe this meaningful song is melancholy. The theme of drowning in an ocean surrounded by a storm coming in is prevalent. The person is submerged in, to paraphrase, "grief and disbelief". Despite that, there is a desire to fight, as indicated in the line "Treading water, I can't find relief though I try". This person doesn't want to drown, but the outcome is uncertain. The very last line as the song fades out, "I am drowning . . .", seems almost like a desperate cry to save this forlorn soul. To me, though this song is clearly written about grieving the death of a loved one, I think it can also relate to loss of any kind -- a relationship, for example. It also brings to mind the uncertainty of life and where it will lead us. The line "I know that a storm is coming, I just don't know when" reminds us that we will face dark times and will have to be strong to survive them.
Grant has a powerful voice that pulls the listener into the emotional depths of this song. There is a stellar guitar solo by Catlett in the bridge, and the pounding drums hammer home the somber tone. The music video, directed by J.T. Ibanez, is on point. It is simple, yet perfectly reflects the theme of this song. It is the band playing in a dark room that has just a small amount of light and occasional flashes that reminded me of lightning -- hence, the "storm" coming in.
The band has several live performances coming up, including:
April 29th; TempleLive Wichita, KS; Black Stone Cherry with Dusty Grant, MJ12, Rise Again
April 30th; TempleLive Fort Smith, AR; Black Stone Cherry with Dusty Grant Check out Dusty Grant online at Musician | Dusty Grant and on Facebook at Dusty Grant | Facebook. <Annie Schlottman>
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