Jd Clayton Announces His Long-Awaited Sophomore Album ‘Blue Sky Sundays’ With Heavenly New Single “Dirt Roads of Red”

Today (January 17), Arkansas native JD Clayton announced his highly anticipated sophomore album Blue Sky Sundays. The album sees Clayton wearing multiple hats—singer, songwriter, and producer. He and his air-tight road band stepped into the legendary Sound Emporium Studios in Nashville to record the nine-track collection with Clayton at the helm. Along with the announcement he released the new single “Dirt Roads of Red.”

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Clayton has already released several songs from Blue Sky Sundays ahead of today’s announcement. “Arkansas Kid,” “Let You Down,” “Dance Another Dance,” and “High Hopes & Low Expectations” are available to stream everywhere along with the new single “Dirt Roads of Red.”

[RELATED: JD Clayton Brings Stadium-Level Energy to Small Venues with His Blue Sky Sundays Tour]

“When I made my first album I’d never been on the road, but after touring so much over the past few years my band is extremely dialed-in,” Clayton shared in a statement. “I wanted to make a record that showcased what’s special about each of my bandmates, and I knew the best way to do that was to produce it myself,” he added. “Life is crazy and it’s got a lot of blemished, and I believe that music should too,” he explained of the album’s sound. “These songs all came from us locking ourselves in the studio and really having fun with the songs, and I think that’s the heart of the album.”

JD Clayton Discusses His New Single “Dirt Roads of Red”

With a half-time drumbeat and a bluesy piano leading the way “Dirt Roads of Red” is a slinky Southern good time and an ode to Clayton’s favorite state to visit—Colorado.

“One morning I was playing golf with a buddy from Georgia down at McCabe Golf Course in Nashville when he turned to me and said that there should be a song about wishing the streets of gold in Heaven could be streets of red, referring to the red clay down in Georgia,” Clayton recalled. That got his wheels turning, and about an hour after he got home and picked up his guitar “Dirt Roads of Red” was finished.

“Now, being an Arkansas kid, I could never bring myself to write a song about Georgia,” Clayton remarked. “Thankfully, my favorite state, Colorado, also has a high concentration of iron deposits in its soil.”

Blue Sky Sundays Tracklist and Info

JD Clayton will release Blue Sky Sundays on February 28 via Rounder Records. You can pre-order or pre-save your copy of the album across digital platforms or on vinyl or compact disc today.

Tracklist

All songs written by JD Clayton unless otherwise noted.

1. “Let You Down”
2. “Dirt Roads of Red”
3. “Madelene”
4. “Slow & Steady”
5. “Arkansas Kid” (AJ Kooper, Ronnie Van Zant, Robert Burns)
6. “Give Me One Reason” (Tracy Chapman)
7. “High Hopes & Low Expectations” (JD Clayton, Kendell Marvel)
8. “Dance Another Dance”
9. “Goodnight”

Featured Image by David McClister