Sadler Vaden has been a professional musician for nearly two decades, cutting his teeth on stage and lending his amazing guitar skills to countless tracks. Now, with his second album release, Vaden is stepping out from the shadows of others and making his own hits.
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Announced today, Anybody Out There?, is the full-length follow-up to his 2016 debut and it showcases both radio-ready songwriting with already elite guitar playing. The first single, “Next To You” offers the sound more similar to mid-90s Gin Blossoms tracks than modern country and has a vibe that could be a summer road trip staple.
The song premiered this morning and Vaden told American Songwriter that the entirety of the album was an evolution of him as a person as well as the society around him.
“This album is a deeper dive into my writing and guitar playing,” he said. “It’s reflective of both our current social climate as well as personal growth and experiences. “Next to You” musically highlights my equal love of Tom Petty and The Who and lyrically states that when you truly love someone, you’ll suffer through any hardship, misfortune, and distance to be by their side.”
You can hear “Next To You” below.
The album was self-produced by Vaden, engineered by longtime collaborator (and multi-platinum producer) Paul Ebersold, and mastered by Grammy Award-winner Richard Dodd, Anybody Out There? is driven by supersized electric guitar and hook-savvy songwriting that deals with the challenges of creating a true human connection in a modern, technology-obsessed world.
Vaden began playing gigs as a teenager, serving as the frontman of Myrtle Beach-based trio, Leslie. The band shared shows with headliners like Drivin’ N Cryin’ and Jason Isbell, both of whom later recruited Vaden to join their own lineups. During his time with Drivin’ N Cryin’, he produced the band’s series of Songs… EPs while also playing lead guitar on crowd favorites like “Fly Me Courageous” and “Straight to Hell.” He left the group for Isbell’s band in 2013, shortly before Isbell’s career-shifting album Southeastern hit stores, and has remained an integral member of the group ever since, lending his vocal harmonies and song-serving guitar fretwork to Grammy-winning albums like Something More Than Free and The Nashville Soundalong the way. Meanwhile, he has also continued releasing his own material.
