SHOUTS - Music from the Rooftops!

A few months back Shouts premiered a rough (but beautiful) demo of a new single from Josh Gray’s upcoming album. The song, Darkest Before The Dawn, is a captivating protest anthem that is ensured to survive generations to come.

Now it is time to premiere the final version of the song, exclusively on Shouts.

Josh has a way with words and his lyrics flow with such ease that the poetry packs a great deal of information into each sentence. The song touches upon many pending issues that Josh has witnessed failing for a long time in his home country of United States of America.

“Can we care about our neighbors
Instead of asking for their papers
And think about what we do to this world?

‘Cause human life’s more precious
Than a blood diamond necklace
Or any flag that’s ever been unfurled”

Josh goes on pointing out that hippocrisy of calling the USA the land of the free for it is quite clear that millions of people living in that country right now are everything but free. Slavery still exists and flourishes today through the incredibly corrupt private prison system. Which, as Josh points out, is very much directed at people of color.

Every orientation and gender deserves equality
You ain’t savin’ souls trying to control
The lives of those you’ve never seen

Let’s stop arrestin’
For minor possession
If this is the land of the free
Ban private prisons
That enslave millions
Because they don’t look like me

We hit Josh up on Skype for a short interview and asked him about the song, the album and the upcoming tour. Check out both the video interview below and the Shouts premiere of ‘Darkest Before The Dawn’ below and follow Josh’s music and touring news by visiting his homepage.

Shouts Exclusive Listen

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Since singer-songwriter Josh Gray released his first EP, a little over 2 years ago, he moved to Nashville and has been fine tuning his craft as well as keeping his fans in a growing suspense. Now he has just started a Kickstarter campaign in order to fund the recording of his first full length album with the help of music fans everywhere. Many record labels, in Josh’s opinion, “don’t think truth sells” and he is “not willing to compromise” so he is reaching out the people. As part of letting his protest voice be heard Shouts is premiering exclusively a rough, yet somehow perfect still, demo of one of the songs of the upcoming album, entitled Darkest Before the Dawn.

Like a quiet, gentle anthem of a song, it focuses on Josh’s voice as it floats beautifully through issues such as mass incarceration, racism, patriarchal abortion laws and gender equality:

“every orientation and gender deserves equality, you ain’t saving souls, trying to control, the lives of those, you’ve never seen”

Josh has never been one to shy away either from holding his own country accountable nor the acknowledgment of his own privilege in this world:

“let’s stop arrestin’ for minor possession, if this is the land of the free, ban private prisons that enslave millions, because they don’t look like me”.

When we asked Josh what the song was about he replied firmly: “It’s clearly a protest song and it covers a lot of ground. I’d prefer to not say exactly what it’s about and instead let the listener find out for themselves. If you listen and it pisses you off then you’re the kind of person who needs to hear it.”

Be sure to check out the album campaign and be a part of creating something positive in this turbulent world. And listen to the exclusive feature below:

Kickstarter Campaign Link: https://kck.st/2OwIhOA

SHOUTS – Music from the Rooftops!

Tag Archives: americana

Exclusive Premiere: Darkest Before The Dawn by Josh Gray