Kris Kristoffers with GAC host Suzanne Alexander in the GAC studio on August 25, 2009. Photo credit Jason Mease.
I recently got to hang out in the studio and watch as GAC host Suzanne Alexander sat down for an intimate interview with the legendary Kris Kristofferson. It was definitely a day that reminded me how cool my job is! Suzanne introduced Kris as “an icon, an outlaw, poet, actor, activist, a true artist.” Throw in former Rhodes Scholar, Grammy Award winner, Country Music Hall of Famer and you get a just a bit closer to fully describing one of the most respected artists to ever write and record music.
Earlier this week Kris released his latest and most personal collection of songs to date on Closer To The Bone. The album features 11 tracks plus a special hidden bonus track.
“I like the intimacy of the new album,” says Kris. “It has a general mood of reflecting on where we all are at this end of life.”
No track speaks to that description more than the title song, “Closer To The Bone.” Kris performed it acoustically during his visit to GAC, you can watch the clip online. Watching this performance will go down as one of the most memorable experiences in my career.
And much like the studio performance, the rest of the tracks on Closer To The Bone have a very stripped-down, acoustic feel. The songs are reflective and cover subjects including family and friends. “From Here To Forever” is a song Kris dedicates to his children, and “Good Morning John” was written for the late Johnny Cash, his friend and mentor.
Closer To The Bone features Kris on vocals, guitar and harmonica, Don Was on bass, Rami Jaffee on keyboards, Jim Keltner on drums and the late Stephen Bruton — a longtime friend to whom the album is dedicated – on guitar, mandolin and backing vocals. All lyrics and music were written solely by Kris except “From Here To Forever,” which was written with Stephen Bruton and Glen Clark.
In addition to performing “Closer to the Bone” during his visit to GAC, Kris also treated the crew to two additional songs — “From Here To Forever” and the rock and roll classic, “Me and Bobby McGee.” You can watch both performances, see highlights from Suzanne’s interview and listen to all the tracks on Closer To The Bone on GACTV.com.
Post a Comment