For those not in the know, Marshall Chapman is an American singer-songwriter-author who was born and raised in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

To date she has released thirteen critically acclaimed albums, with her 2013 release, Blaze of Glory, having been hailed as a masterpiece.

Chapman's fourteenth album, Songs I Can’t Live Without was just released this past May 15th, 2020 (her eighth on TallGirl Records) and is an album of classics that had always been on Chapman’s bucket list to record.

"The songs I write have always been so personal,” Chapman says. “I needed a break. I was getting tired of living myself into a corner, just so I could write myself out.”

1. 'Tower Of Song'
2. 'Turn The Page'
3. 'I Fall In Love Too Easily'
4. 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow'
5. 'I Still Miss Someone'
6. 'Don't Be Cruel'
7. 'Tennessee Blues'
8. 'After Midnight'
10. 'He's Got The Whole World In His Hands'

This quite breathtakingly raw, and openly honest and passionate album opens with Leonard Cohen’s gruff 'Tower Of Song,' which Chapman sings for the first time while recording it and that's backed by an earthy 'Turn The Page' (Bob Seger) and then a slow poke turn at Chet Baker's 'I Fall In Love Too Easily' is brought forth.

A breathy, fuzzy guitar vibe is given to Carole King's 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow' before we get a dedicated homage to Johnny Cash on his 'I Still Miss Someone' and then a lo-fi, gently acoustic hipsway cover of Elvis Presley's 'Don't Be Cruel.'

Chapman brings a hauntingly evocative southern crawl to Bobby Charles' 1972 hit 'Tennessee Blues,' which is backed by J.J. Cale's renowned 'After Midnight,' with the album coming to a close on a truly prophetic rendering of the traditional 'He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands.'

Chapman explains, “'He’s Got the Whole World in his Hands' is the first song I remember singing as a child. I was eight years old. It was a big hit on the radio by an English singer named Laurie London. It’s one of those songs you know the minute you hear it."

"When we first tracked this album, another song was the closer. But it just didn’t seem quite right. So for days and days I thought about a replacement."

"Then it hit me that a gospel song might be the ticket. I considered 'I Shall Not Be Moved,' but then I remembered 'He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.'"

"The day we recorded this was the day of the mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton. I was driving to the studio in East Nashville, and when I saw all the flags at half mast, I had to pull over to the side of the road."

"There I jotted down notes for the recitation that you hear at the end of this recording. I hope you enjoy this as much as we enjoyed recording it.”

Marshall Chapman is currently featured in “Outlaws & Armadillos: Country’s Roaring ’70s” at the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Nashville. The exhibit will run until Feb. 14th, 2021.

Official CD Purchase Link

www.tallgirl.com

Marshall Chapman @ Facebook