First Album in 30 Years Matt Rollings Mosaic Out August 14 Features
The Blind Boys of Alabama,Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Lukas Nelson, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Molly Tuttle & More
Today, the GRAMMY Award-winning producer, piano virtuoso and first-call session superstar Matt Rollings released the official video for his latest single “Stay” featuring Alison Krauss and Vince Gill via The Tennessean. The song is the third to be taken from Matt Rollings Mosaic, his first solo album in over thirty years out on August 14. The album is now available for pre-order.
Watch the video for “Stay” via YouTube:
https://youtu.be/YPzsTGKxxHc
“I wrote this song with the incredibly gifted singer/songwriter, Alisan Porter, who won The Voice in 2016. We wrote it for an album I produced for her that came out in 2014,” explains Rollings. “When Alison Krauss agreed to be a part of Matt Rollings Mosaic, I immediately thought of ‘Stay,’ and that she is the only person (other than Alisan Porter) that I could ever imagine singing it. We cut it live – piano, drums and vocal – and Alison Krauss did what she always does: leave everyone in the room with their jaw hanging open! Later I added her brother on bass (the insanely talented Viktor Krauss) and enlisted my friend, Kris Wilkinson, who did the achingly sparse string arrangement. Finally, the incomparable Vince Gill added a background vocal that perfectly supports Alison’s sublime performance. The result is one of my absolute favorite tracks on the record.”
“It was an intimidating honor to be asked to add a visual element to such a beautiful song so beautifully sung by Alison Krauss,” said Michael Wilson, who directed the video. “I began the process of just listening on repeat — letting the song soak into me. Then I started looking through archives of pictures I had made over the years trying to note which ones had some resonance with the music. Having gathered a bundle of pictures, my son, Henry, and I started laying pictures over the music… pushing and pulling images around until we arrived here.” Rollings added, “The result is beautiful, devastating, heartbreaking, and perfect. Michael’s portraits show love in all it’s beautiful, agonizing, human glory. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with this father and son.”
Rollings announced the album with a cover of “Accentuate The Positive,” featuring his longtime friend and collaborator of over thirty years, Lyle Lovett. Billboard spoke with Rollings about the new album and said, “Mosaic return[s] Rollings to a position of being an artist in his own right.” Last month, Rollings spoke with American Songwriter about the project and the song “Wade In The Water” featuring The War & Treaty and The Blind Boys of Alabama.
Over the past four decades, the GRAMMY-winning producer and piano virtuoso has performed on thousands of recordings across a wide swath of genres, contributing to releases from Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, Mavis Staples, Billy Joel, Dolly Parton, The Dixie Chicks, Metallica, and Sheryl Crow among others. On top of his astonishing resume as a session player and sideman, Rollings has also written, produced, and arranged for a whole slew of icons, from Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett to Keith Urban and Mary Chapin Carpenter, taken home the ACM Award for Pianist of the Year on ten separate occasions, and earned widespread acclaim for his 1990 solo debut, Balconies.
“I’m a piano player,” says Rollings. “I’ve made a career out of listening deeply and supporting other artist’s visions, and that’s brought a lot of joy and meaning into my life. With this record, though, it was time for me to explore my own vision.”
With Matt Rollings Mosaic, he steps into the spotlight for the first time in thirty years while inviting some of his big-name friends to lend their talents to his remarkable new record. Featuring guest vocals from an all-star cast including Willie Nelson, Lukas Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Molly Tuttle, Buddy Miller, Heidi Talbot, Charlie Greene, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Alison Krauss, and Vince Gill among others, the album mixes Rollings originals with timeless classics and some of the more famous tunes he’s performed on over the years.
“I called this album Matt Rollings Mosaic not only because it’s a mosaic of styles and genres and artists, but because I feel like I’m a mosaic myself,” he concludes. “I love being a performer and a writer and an arranger and a producer, but so often, you’re made to feel like you have to pick just one. With this record, I got to choose them all.”
Matt Rollings Mosaic tracklist:
1) Take Me To Mardi Gras (ft. The War and Treaty)
2) Accentuate The Positive (ft. Lyle Lovett)
3) Stay (ft. Alison Krauss with Vince Gill)
4) Wade In The Water (ft. The War and Treaty with The Blind Boys of Alabama)
5) If I Had A Boat (ft. Ramblin’ Jack Elliott)
6) Spirits In The Material World (ft. Charlie Greene)
7) When You Loved Me Still (ft. Heidi Talbot)
8) That Lucky Old Sun (ft. Lyle Lovett, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Willie Nelson)
9) I’ll Come Knocking (ft. Lukas Nelson with Molly Tuttle and Buddy Miller)
10) Slumber My Darling (ft. Heidi Talbot with John McCusker)
11) Pontiac