“I honestly don’t remember most of my first kisses, but I remember every last kiss.” – RJ Comer
A last kiss. A final goodbye. Whether it’s a breakup or death, the last kiss closes the final chapter of a relationship. RJ Comer‘s “One Last Kiss,” the title track from his upcoming solo debut album, tells the story of three last kisses. The first representing the tragic lost love of the great American author Edgar Allen Poe who never stopped grieving the death of his young wife; the second, a personal one: Comer talks about his mother’s final kiss to his father in his casket (Comer was 14 when his father died), and the final being perhaps the most famous, and most treasonous, kiss ever.
With a constant drum beat and eerie fiddle, Comer combines Americana and blues with his deep, rugged voice; a perfect mix to deliver such an ominous song.
“One Last Kiss” features fiddler Daniel Foulks (Parker Millsap), Grammy-winning slide guitarist Randy Kohrs (Jim Lauderdale, Dolly Parton, Dierks Bentley) and was produced by Shawn Byrne.
Check out the premiere of “One Last Kiss” below:
The cinematic music video, directed by Bill Filipiak, brings that dark feeling of the song to life. The mood is set instantly with a famous quote from Poe written over a macabre drawing of a prince and corpse: “I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.” Other ghastly drawings are edited in between shots of Comer singing alone in three different outfits, one of which being 3-piece suit as if dressed for a funeral.
After dropping out of music school, Comer walked down a few perilous paths that led to violence, poverty, addiction and even attempts on his own life. After spending time in a Mississippi jail, he set himself straight, earning a law degree and becoming a lawyer. But those dreams of being a musician still plucked at the strings in Comer’s memory. He formed a band that ended up getting signed, and he’s been performing ever since.
Those last kisses, along with the lessons of his life’s roller-coaster journey, are what gave Comer the inspiration for his debut solo album One Last Kiss, out June 15.
For more information on RJ Comer, visit his website: www.rjcomer.com