Brian Fallon released his version of "Amazing Grace" on October 13, 2021. The song is taken from his very special new album comprised of his recordings of classic hymns. Night Divine, produced and recorded by Fallon himself, arrives on November 5 via Lesser Known Records/Thirty Tigers.
"I hear 'Amazing Grace' sung a lot as a triumphant song, and it is," says Fallon. "But I always found grace to be a thing we need when we’re in defeat. When I was little, the people I heard singing this song weren’t triumphant, they were broken, in need of mercy and grace. That’s how I tried to perform this song and that’s the image I had in my mind while recording it.“
Fallon heralded the album last month with album opener, “Virgin Mary Had One Son.” Soulful and spirited vocals glide over lithely picked acoustic guitar and add another dimension to the original composition.
“This was the first music I’d ever heard and learned,” Fallon recalls. “It’s one of the earliest musical memories I have. So, the idea has been churning in my head for a long time. Even when I was making rock ‘n’ roll, this was always in the background.”
Growing up, Fallon counted these hymns among his earliest musical memories. His mom performed many of them in church and often played them on a nylon string acoustic guitar at home. After touring the world multiple times and delivering over a dozen albums across his solo catalog, The Gaslight Anthem, and The Horrible Crowes, he’s come to embrace this music like never before. Making use of his time at home during quarantine, he carefully chose 10 hymns and recorded them by himself at home - a career first. Meanwhile, his mom contributed to several of the songs, making this undertaking even more meaningful.
Night Divine continues a prolific streak for Fallon. Last year, he reached a new creative and critical peak with his previous solo LP, Local Honey. In addition to praise from Rolling Stone, Mojo, and American Songwriter, UNCUT hailed it as “sparse, reflective, and among Fallon’s best,” while No Depression went as far as to call it, “Fallon’s most complete work since Gaslight.”
Night Divine is available for presale here.
On October 21, Fallon presents another edition of his ongoing "Live From Home" livestream concerts. This time around, he performs his last solo LP Local Honey, along with The Gaslight Anthem's 2008 EP Señor and the Queen. The show starts at 8:00pm EST, and a replay is available for 72hrs afterward. Tickets are available for purchase online.
In December, Fallon resumes his traditional holiday residency with 5 sold-out solo shows at New Jersey’s fabled Crossroads. Next year, Brian Fallon and The Howling Weather make a full return to the road in the U.S. and UK/Europe.
