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Brent Cobb’s new version of “Just A Closer Walk With Thee” is debuting today. Listen above. Reflecting on the track, Cobb shares, “It’s always been a song that made me feel at peace. It was the first song that we found the groove on for this album, and I wanted to release it now because ‘tis the season after all.”
“Just A Closer Walk With Thee” is the third song unveiled from Cobb’s anticipated debut gospel album, And Now, Let’s Turn To Page…, which will be released January 28 via his own label, Ol’ Buddy Records. Produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb and recorded at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio A, the record features new renditions of eight traditional gospel songs that have been a cherished part of Cobb’s life, as well as one original track, “When It’s My Time,” written by Cobb, his wife, Layne, and Mike Harmeier. With these songs, Cobb pays homage to the community and values of his hometown of Ellaville, GA, while still incorporating his acclaimed signature sound—imbuing these gospel standards with elements of country, blues and southern rock in a way that is authentically and uniquely Cobb.
Ahead of the release, Cobb has unveiled two additional album tracks: “When It’s My Time” and his new version of “We Shall Rise.”
In celebration of the new music, Cobb will embark on his headline “When It’s My Time Tour.”
Although the album has been a long-time dream for Cobb, it has only come to fruition now due to a near-death experience in July 2020, when the vehicle that he was driving, with his young son inside, got T-boned at a rural four-way stop. Following the crash, Cobb found himself with a renewed outlook on life, remembering, “You just start piecing together how everything is sort of intentional…I’d always had it in the back of my mind to make a gospel album. That moment of clarity, of almost getting killed, made me think I should just make the gospel album now.”
A deeply personal project, And Now, Let’s Turn To Page… finds Cobb surrounded by those who mean the most to him, with his wife Layne Cobb, his mother Renee Cobb, his sister Alecia Grant, his father Patrick Cobb and his cousin Dave Cobb all joining him on the closing track, “Blessed Be The Tie That Binds.” Additional musicians featured across the album include Brian Allen (bass), Mike Harris (guitar), Chris Powell (drums, percussion) and Philip Towns (keyboards) as well as special background vocals from Caylee Hammack (a fellow Ellaville, GA native), Anderson East and members of Antioch, a Georgia-based gospel group led by Cobb’s father.
Reflecting on the project, Cobb shares, “I’ve always wanted to make a southern gospel album because it’s what I come from, but also it used to seem like a rite of passage for country singers to make a gospel album. I’m just trying to carry on that torch.”
Cobb has earned nominations for Best Americana Album at the 60th GRAMMY Awards and Emerging Artist of the Year at the 2017 Americana Honors & Awards. He has also been featured on “CONAN,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” and NPR Music’s “Tiny Desk Concert” series and has toured extensively across the world including numerous performances as part of Chris Stapleton’s “All-American Road Show.”
Look for Cobb on January 28th at the Grand Ole Opry and February 27th at the City Winery right here in Nashville.
