Chris Knight, ‘Almost Daylight’ [Exclusive Premiere]
"It's alright. It's almost daylight."
Those five words are the crux of Chris Knight's brand-new song, the title track of his latest album, Almost Daylight, due out Oct. 11 on Drifter's Church Productions. Well ahead of its release, Knight is partnering with The Boot to give fans an early preview of the record with the premiere of the official music video for "Almost Daylight;" press play above to hear the new tune.
"I think it's a pretty cool title for an album," Knight tells The Boot about the new song. "It could mean a lot of things to a lot of people, like getting through some darkness in your own life. Right before daylight, you know ... it's always darkest before dawn."
For Knight, this track is more than just a cool title, though: It's autobiographical. "The guy in the song is out on the road, he's been up half the night, and he's still up before the sun rises," Knight explains. "He's just waiting for the daylight so he can get back to work, so he can get back out on the road to go to the next show."
Since releasing his debut solo record, Chris Knight, in 1998, Knight has found himself on the road, playing shows and doing all he can to support his passion — which just so happens to be his career, too.
"I used to say, as soon as I left my driveway for a run of shows, I'd tell my manager that I'm already on my way home," Knight says. "The first day, as soon as I pull out, I'm on my way home. It may be 10 days from now, it may be five, but as soon as I get started, that's what I'm doing."
Those sentiments ring loud and clear throughout "Almost Daylight," and are captured in an eerie beauty in its accompanying music video. Shots of dirty tiles and stark-white snowscapes envelop Knight as he croons in his all-too-familiar motel room. The soundtrack to these images is the slow-burning epitome of Knight's unique rock 'n' roll, capable of telling a life story in a single guitar chord.
"I've written a few road songs," he admits matter-of-factly, "and I continue to write them, and I've actually recorded a few of 'em. But this time around, I think we were just writing a love song ... a road song that turned into a love song, turned into what you hear."
The "we" Knight mentions is himself and Christie Sutherland, a singer-songwriter who was voted the Christian Country Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2010 Diamond Awards. "We've written a bunch of songs together, so many that were just a few tweaks away from being album material," Knight explains. "And on "Almost Daylight," we weren't getting too philosophical."
He pauses as he laughs to himself.
"We needed to write a song," he adds, "so we figured we should write a pretty good one."
Though Knight says "Almost Daylight" is autobiographical, he also realizes it's not all that unique to his lifestyle. "I think this is biographical for a lot of people," he says. "People who are out on the road all the time, who have to travel for their jobs, this is about and it's for them, you know?"
Almost Daylight is Knight's ninth album and his first new recording in over seven years. Fans can visit ChrisKnight.net for more details on the project and Knight's upcoming shows.
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