Country singer/songwriter Suzy Bogguss takes an unfiltered look back at the history of America in her moving new single “It All Falls Down to the River.” The song, which features sweeping harmonies from the McCrary Sisters, is the first preview from Bogguss’ long-awaited upcoming album Prayin’ for Sunshine.
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Bogguss’s comeback single is a lyrical gut-punch, shining a light on hard truths about life in the United States. The track uses familiar imagery to convey the differences between our reality and the vision we want to accept as reality. From the site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination to the levees of New Orleans that broke during Hurricane Katrina, Bogguss and the McCrary Sisters paint a powerful picture of our nation’s complex past and present.
We built the levees tall and strong
But you know it’s never enough
We thought it would last forever
But it’s crumbling at our feel
It all falls down to the river
The river falls down to the sea
Set for release this Friday (November 3), Prayin’ for Sunshine marks the accomplished country artist’s first full-length record of new original music in nearly a decade. “It All Falls Down to the River” is one of ten tracks featured on the record, which includes co-writes with fellow celebrated songwriters Matraca Berg, Gretchen Peters, and Bill Lloyd. Bogguss co-produced the record with her husband and talented musician Doug Crider, who also co-penned eight tracks from the project.
Bogguss emerged onto the country music scene in 1989 with the release of her stellar debut album Somewhere Between. She became one of the genre’s top female voices of the 1990s and has spent the past two decades cultivating her own career as an independent artist.
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The songs that make up Prayin’ for Sunshine grew out of the isolation and social turmoil that emerged during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. That unexpected period of reflection and creative experimentation culminated into a collection of deeply personal songs that reflect Bogguss’s headspace during that unforeseen turning point.
Listen to “It All Falls Down to the River” below:
Prayin’ for Sunshine Track List
- “It All Falls Down To The River” (written by Suzy Bogguss, Doug Crider)
- “Sunday Birmingham” (Bogguss, Crider)
- “It’s Too Late” (Bogguss, Crider, Pat Bergeson)
- “Paint The Town Blue” (Bogguss, Crider)
- “Cryin’ Over You” (Bogguss, Crider)
- “Camille” (Bogguss, Matraca Berg, Gretchen Peters)
- “GPS” (Bogguss, Crider)
- “We Can Make It Alright” (Bogguss, Crider)
- “A Woman Who Cooks” (Bogguss, Bill Lloyd)
- “Can You Still See Me Like That” (Bogguss, Crider)
Photo courtesy of the artist
