Premiere: Clay Parker and Jodi James Share New Single “Fire For The Water”
New LP Your own dream Released January 19
December 28, 2023
Photography by Jodi James
Next month, Baton Rouge-based singer-songwriters Clay Parker and Jodi James are preparing to share their second full album as a duo, Your own dream. The duo released a self-titled EP in 2016 and followed up with their first full-length album, 2018. The loneliest sound that can ring, sharing a talent for sparse, plaintive folk meditations and nostalgic American harmonies. Earlier this month, the duo shared the record’s first single, “Nothing At All,” and today they’re back with another track, “Fire For The Water,” premiering with Under the Radar.
“Fire For The Water” finds Parker and James delivering a warm folk rock ballad, guided by booming guitar tones, majestic percussion and honeyed vocals. Parker takes center stage, supported by James’ swooning harmonies and a light, lilting melody. The duo shows effortless collaborative chemistry, their voices blending effortlessly. Meanwhile, Parker’s meandering, disjointed lyrics give the track a worn, burnished sheen, making it feel like a forgotten folk classic. Throughout, Parker and James’ vocals dance with the vibrant guitars, swirling together until the tinkling tones coalesce into a smoky solo to guide the track to its conclusion.
Parker says of the song: “I think the melody and the structure is what holds it all together. I’m fascinated by a lot of old world songs that we still pass down with interchangeable or just plain wrong lyrics. Sometimes they seem borderline absurd – and I like that. I like that a tune can be worth singing or a nursery rhyme worth playing without linearity being a necessity. Songs like “Fire For The Water” are written quite passively… I’ll have a melody in my head for a few days, and if I can find a verse and remember it without writing it down, I think it’s worth it. it’s hard to keep it. . Once I have a bunch of them, Jodi and I will sit down and trim and shape them into something that moves us.
James goes on to say of the track: “A lot of Clay’s seemingly absurd ramblings are actually depths wrapped up in a bunch of you, naws, yeah, oh and hey.” And I like that it doesn’t rely on linearity. It can be just disorienting enough that when something finally clicks, it has more weight… you’ll have that ah-ha moment and you’ll sort of smile at the brilliance. Or you can shape the meaning to suit your moods – or let it mean nothing at all.
I really like the upbeat groove of this song. It’s always fun to play and we usually use it as an introduction, both live and on record. It sets the tone and shows that we are very serious and that we don’t take ourselves too seriously.
Check out the song below. Your own dream comes out January 19.
