
Jarrod Dickenson is a guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer, originally from Waco, Texas, and now based in Nashville. His two albums, The Lonesome Traveler and Ready the Horses, along with his EP, Under A Texas Sky, have earned him critical acclaim and a devoted audience on both sides of the Atlantic. Not one to fear an exhausting tour schedule, Dickenson has entranced crowds all over Europe and the US and shared stages with such legendary artists as Bonnie Raitt, Don McLean, The Waterboys, Jools Holland, and Jimmie Vaughan. He has performed at prestigious festivals such as Glastonbury and Cambridge Folk Festival. After a baptism of fire in the world of the major labels, Jarrod Dickenson now exists as a fiercely independent artist, a look that suits him well and allows his creativity to follow whatever path it damn well pleases. Nowhere is this attitude better encapsulated than in the bluesy rock and roll growl of his uncompromising new album Big Talk, released worldwide on February 3, 2023 via Hooked Records. (IVPR, 2023)
The hardships and infuriation of recent years have only added steel to the resolve of an artist already willing to do it the hard way, prepared to stand in the face of a music business that shows dwindling regard for the brand of artistry that first inspired him to pick up a guitar and sing for his life—and Dickenson laid it all out for the world to hear on Big Talk.
Fans can stream or purchase Big Talk and check out Dickenson’s collection of music videos: “With Any Luck,” “Prefer To Lose,” “Buckle Under Pressure,” and “Long Hard Look.” Limited edition Big Talk vinyl is available at Dickenson’s official web store.
This album represents Dickenson’s most direct and uncompromising body of songwriting to date and his decision to occupy the producer’s chair has injected Big Talk with a drive and coherence that compliments the muscle of its material. Furthermore, Dickenson has assembled a band of ferocious players to bring these songs to life with striking authenticity in a series of live sessions recorded to tape. Together they create that unmistakable sound that only comes from the assembly of talented players, in a room, having a blast and what better way to flip the bird at those dark entities that inspired the album’s creation than to rage with such joy?
If Dickenson’s previous works have ventured a foot into the territory of rock and roll, Big Talk plants a large flag. It is classic like Petty, gritty like Waits. There are McCartney-esque melodies and the blues get thrown down with a certain Rolling Stones swagger, and yet Jarrod Dickenson has crafted a sound that is all his own. Big Talk sounds for all the world like a man who has found his groove. Get the record, see a show, but just do not piss him off.
Big Talk track list:
1. Buckle Under Pressure
2. Born To Wander
3. Home Again (feat. Oliver Wood & Jano Rix)
4. Prefer To Lose
5. Bamboozled
6. With Any Luck
7. If You’re Looking
8. Long Hard Look
9. Don’t Deprive Me
10. Goodnight