Old Sea Brigade - 5 AM Paradise

 

Limited edition "Orange Crush" vinyl

The third studio album from producer and multi-instrumentalist Ben Cramer

The music crafted by ATL-born singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Ben Cramer documents the ebbs and flows in our environment and the growth in the middle of major milestones. His lyrics capture anxiety, nostalgia, confusion, love, loss, and, ultimately, hope in tender true-life snapshots colored by folk eloquence, Americana bliss, rock energy, and country heart

On his third studio album, 5AM Paradise, the Nashville-via-Georgia musician is seeped in dreamlike solitude; the new record doesn't use 5AM to measure hours but years. As Old Sea Brigade comes to realize, he's more often taking in those predawn scenes at the beginning of a new morning than at the end of a long night.

On the title's meaning, Old Sea Brigade's Cramer offers that "there's generally only two reasons why someone's up at 5 a.m., either a great night or responsible early morning. When I turned 30 last year, I realized I was having way more responsible early mornings and found myself longing for those nights that you hope never end. There's value in making those memories with your best friends, the same as there's value in turning in your taxes on time. This is my way of trying to keep that part of me alive."

Featuring collaborations with many of those best friends he mentions, including co-writer Luke Sital-Singh and the album's producers Jeremy Giffith and Owen Lewis, it's truly a celebration of the music community he's developed through his years of creating. This has also included tour mates like Passenger and Wild Rivers, as well as artists who've come to Nashville from across the world to work with Old Sea Brigade as a producer — like Australia's Angie McMahon and England's John Joseph Brill - plus rising hometown talent like Braison Cyrus and Paul McDonald.

"5AM Paradise" finds Old Sea Brigade backed by top-notch Nashville musicians including Eli Beaird (Willie Nelson, Ruston Kelly), Kris Donegan (Mickey Guyton, Hayes Carll) and drummer Julian Dorio of The Whigs, a formative inspiration for Cramer growing up.

1. 5 Am Paradise

2. Drive Alone

3. Man Made By Delusion

4. Somedays

5. Stayed Up Late

6. Monochrome

7. Old Blooded

8. This Again

9. If You're Falling Asleep

10. Hands in the Dirt

Be the first to write a review for this item OR just rate it