Texas singer/songwriter Vincent Neil Emerson is gearing up to release his third studio album. Set for release on November 10, The Golden Crystal Kingdom features 12 new tracks produced by Shooter Jennings.
Videos by American Songwriter
The project finds the seasoned musician building off the reflective, traditional folk storytelling of his 2021 self-titled record. Jennings, the creative mind behind a list of hit albums that includes Brandi Carlile‘s In These Silent Days, adds rich new layers of electrifying rock elements into the collection of songs.
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Lead single “Little Wolf’s Invincible Yellow Medicine Paint,” released today (September 21), offers a first glimpse into the sonic evolution showcased on the LP.
“I wanted to make this song more than just a country song or a singer-songwriter type of song,” Emerson shares in a statement. “I wanted this to be a rock and roll song, I wanted it to be loud and big. Shooter got the idea right off the bat. He knew exactly what I was thinking.”
The song’s captivating lyrical storyline takes listeners into the past to tell a tale that originates from Emerson’s heritage as a member of the Choctaw-Apache community.
“The story was, basically, that a medicine man was tasked with motivating warriors to go into battle—they were going up against a bunch of white men with guns, and they knew they were going to die if they went into battle—and he came up with this special paint, this yellow medicine paint, and said, ‘If you wear this into battle, you’ll be invincible. No arrow can pierce you. No bullet can pierce you,'” he explains. “It’s an old-West-themed song; it’s not a modern-day story for sure. These are indigenous stories, whether or not that old West comic was true.”
Watch the official music video for “Little Wolf’s Invincible Yellow Medicine Paint,” starring Native American bareback horse race champion Sharmaine Weed, below:
The Golden Crystal Kingdom Track List:
1. “Time of the Rambler”
2. “The Golden Crystal Kingdom”
3. “Time of the Cottonwood Trees”
4. “I’ll Meet You In Montana”
5. “Hang Your Head Down Low”
6. “Cod’ine”
7. “Blackland Prairies”
8. “On the Banks of the Old Guadalupe”
9. “The Man from Uvalde”
10. “Voices (on the Spanish Isle)”
11. “Clover on the Hillside”
12. “Little Wolf’s Invincible Yellow Medicine Paint”
Photo by Thomas Crabtree, Courtesy of IVPR
