Rusty Reid – “Oh, What a World”: Finding Beauty in a Chaotic World
Some would argue, some may agree, but at least we all can see the world is more stressful and chaotic than before. Lots of technology around and still evolving but still our stress levels and pressure is always going up when in fact should have been the other way round. We all want peace, but trying to find inner peace while watching the evening news is a lot like trying to fold a fitted sheet in a hurricane. It just gonna ruin your day or evening and that peace gone! No matter how the journey begun, at the end of the day, we all would want some peaceful exit. Seattle-based indie singer-songwriter Rusty Reid offers a much smoother way to ground yourself with his cover single, “Oh, What a World“.
The song which was originally written by Kacey Musgraves, Daniel Keyes Tashian, and Ian Fitchuk, comes in as the grand finale of Reid’s double-album, Lone Stardust (Masterworks of Texas Songwriters). If you’ve been following Rusty Reid‘s covers for a while, you’d know it was a series of releases and now he closes that chapter with a song that provide a spiritual and emotional exhale after a long, winding musical journey. I love how the song carries a warm, wonder-filled message about finding beauty and grace in a messy world, acting as the perfect high note to bring the journey to an end.
In everything we do, all we can do is find joy in the little things in life even when we fail, turn that chaos into a peaceful energy that will help you push yourself up there. The world is already messy, and allowing all that failure, bad energy, bad news and negative to overwhelm you, will only send you further down than make you feel okay. We all can agree Rusty Reid knows how to craft his music, play it and make you feel as though you’re sitting somewhere in the Pacific Northwest while an old friend picks out chords on an acoustic guitar as the sun goes down. The vocal delivery as always feels less polished and comes with a lot of warmth.
I like the instrumention a lot too, the way Reid takes the airy, dreamlike vibe of the original version and anchors it with a rich, organic folk-country arrangement on this cover is really amazing. With Chris Condon laying down a warm foundation with steady acoustic guitar strumming, while Jason Roller steps in with soaring electric guitar lines that lift the chorus into open space, whilst Dane Bryant weaves subtle keyboard pads underneath. The rhythm section features Jay Gorman on bass and Robert Blair on drums keeps a gentle, unhurried pulse rolling along.
Reid’s vocal delivery is just up there, feels weathered, honest, and deeply sincere, trading pop polish for authentic emotional weight. It’s really a clean setup, you don’t hear anything mixing up, the instruments shines, it feels balanced and has that warm atmosphere to it. The tempo is very relaxing, nothing feels rushed, it moves at a swaying pace allowing the melody to linger and sink in naturally.
“Oh, What a World” is that track that will hug you when you return from work, when life has been very unfair to you, when the week has stressed together out and all you need is something comforting, warm and enjoyable without giving you another headache to think about. When you think about all the tech, development and everything within, you wouldn’t even believe we could be unhappy and stressed in this world, but oh what a world. It offers us a gorgeous, down-to-earth take on a modern classic, whilst providing us with a comforting acoustic instrumentation, and reminding us that there is still plenty of wonder left in the world, so go ahead and explore, the world ain’t just here in the states, travel and enjoy! Stream “Oh, What a World” and take a deep breath!
Want more from Rusty Reid? Check him out on the links below;
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