Kelley McRae, ‘If You Need Me’ [Exclusive Premiere]

Americana singer-songwriter Kelley McRae is exclusively premiering her song "If You Need Me," off of her forthcoming record The Wayside, with The Boot.

McRae's husband, Matt Castelein -- also her co-writer and guitarist -- contributes background vocals on "If You Need Me," which McRae tells The Boot is a very special song for her.

"We play a lot of shows every year, and there are some songs that fade away and some songs that I just never get tired of singing. "If You Need Me" is one of those songs I still need to sing every night," she explains. "I wrote it when I was struggling with a big life decision, and we happened to be touring through California and had time to stop at Lake Tahoe. The song was written in about 10 minutes while sitting there on the shore. I still haven't figured out that life decision, but singing that song is helping me get closer to something like an answer."

In "If You Need Me," McRae sings that all of the things she was worried about "all drifted away to some distant shore." The song's chorus -- "If you need me / I'll be here / Wishing on a star / That's burning bright and clear / Finally old enough to know / Anything worth holding onto / Is worth letting go" -- is gentle and broad enough to apply to many a listener yet emotive enough to feel connected.

The Wayside, McRae's fifth album, is set for release on April 7; the project draws its name from, as the artist describes, "[that] place along the side of the road where things get left behind or where you go to rest awhile or where you go find something you lost along the way.” It was recorded in Vancouver, B.C.

For more information on upcoming shows, visit KelleyMcRae.com.

Listen to Kelley McRae, "If You Need Me":

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