Dying Star

by Ruston Kelly

Overview

Ruston Kelly doesn't stick in any one spot on Dying Star, his debut album. Perhaps Ryan Adams is his lodestar -- "Mockingbird" doesn't merely sound like something straight off of Heartbreaker, it contains a knowing nod to former Adams paramour Parker Posey -- but Kelly isn't a po-faced Americana singer/songwriter who is consumed with authenticity. "Son of a Highway Daughter" finds him harmonizing with a vocoder-ized version of himself, "Anchors" is accentuated with keyboards and steel guitar that veer toward the psychedelic, and "Dying Star" borrows from classic soul rhythms. These flourishes, along with Kelly's sharply honed wit, keep the otherwise moody and slow Dying Star from seeming somnolent, and they're enough to help steer attention away from the album's appealing nocturnal sheen and to the songcraft, which is sturdy and enduring. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/07/2018
Label:	Rounder
UPC:	0888072057135
Rank:	2807

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Cover My Tracks
2. Mockingbird
3. Son of a Highway Daughter
4. Paratrooper's Battlecry
5. Faceplant
6. Blackout
7. Big Brown Bus
8. Mercury
9. Anchors
10. Just for the Record

Disc 2

11. Trying To Let Her
12. Jericho
13. Dying Star
14. Brightly Burst into the Air

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ruston Kelly   Primary Artist,Vocals,Harmonica,Xylophone,Guitar (Acoustic)
Natalie Hemby   Vocals (Background)
Ian Fitchuk   Drums,Organ,Piano,Percussion
Joy Williams   Vocals (Background)
Kate York   Vocals (Background)
Tim Kelly   Pedal Steel
Eli Beaird   Bass
Jon Green   Vocals (Background)
Kacey Musgraves   Vocals (Background)
Kyle Ryan   Banjo
Jarrad Kritzstein   Guitar,Fender Rhodes,Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Abby Sevigny   Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Andrew Scheps   Mixing
Natalie Hemby   Composer
Joy Williams   Composer
Rick Brantley   Composer
Caitlyn Smith   Composer
Brendan Benson   Composer
Lucie Silvas   Composer
Joe Leathers   Composer
Kyle Jacobs   Composer
Charles Godfrey   Engineer
Mario Ramirez   Assistant
Greg Calibi   Mastering
Nick Steinhardt   Design,Art Direction
Jarrad Kritzstein   Composer,Engineer,Producer
Ruston Kelly   Composer,Engineer,Producer
Rollie Gaalswyk   Composer
Matthew Glasbey   Assistant