Smithsonian Folkways Recordings has announced an October 22 release for Day By Day, their first project for Norman Blake, perhaps the most iconic and quintessential flatpicker and folk singer since Doc Watson.
At 83, Blake is churning out new music at a rate that few artists half his age could match. After serving as a major influence on important figures like Tony Rice, Kenny Smith, Bryan Sutton, and many others, Norman isn’t nearly finished writing his own chapter in the history of acoustic guitar and old time music. His artistry remains as it has ever been, set on producing music that is plain, humble in its intentions, and performed without pomp or pretension.
Day By Day offers a set of traditional folk songs, some familiar, others wonderfully obscure, all recorded unaccompanied in a single take. For true fans, this is how they hope to get their Norman Blake, pure and unfiltered.
Here is a sneak peek at the album, a song Blake wrote called I’m Free Again, the project’s first single.
I’m Free Again is available now from popular download and streaming sites. Pre-orders for Day By Day are enabled online.
