The Red Clay Strays are one of the most dominant forces in all of country music right now. The six-piece band from Mobile, AL is winning awards and selling out arenas left and right, and the unprecedented momentum shows no signs of letting up. But it was only a few years ago that they were relatively unknown, traversing the country in an old van and playing bars and listening rooms for anyone who would listen. The rise has been rapid since, and while the accolades are well deserved, it’s hard not to imagine the impact that such change could have on a band. But The Red Clay Strays have remained grounded. Through it all, they’ve managed to keep their faith and maintain perspective, a theme that runs clearly through their latest and most anticipated album yet, Grateful. The aptly titled project is all about gratitude, but not necessarily in the narrow sense of being grateful for their fans and success. That part is implied, but instead the record points toward something far deeper. Produced by the legendary Dave Cobb, Grateful is a reflective and thought provoking project in which The Red Clay Strays continue to embrace their spirituality, expressing throughout the album their gratitude for God’s salvation and mercy, the redemption He offers in moments of failure, and the love and devotion they have found that reflects His image. Featuring 11 songs, The Strays’ third album follows a spiritual and emotional arc across the tracklist that I find can be broken into three relatively distinct phases, with a beginning, middle, and end. It opens with “Demons In Your Choir,” where the band illustrates how deception takes hold of the vulnerable. “Don’t Wanna Know” revolves around an adulterous relationship, and “Walking Away” captures the lonesome feeling that follows a breakup. This early tension continues in “People Hatin’,” a social commentary that calls for unity and love in the face of political division and senseless violence. Together, the opening stretch of Grateful is defined by the narrator’s attempts to save others from failure and moral compromise, while the enemy often seems to prevail and chaos ensues. The album’s middle phase becomes more of a back-and-forth dialogue between faith, temptation, and spiritual grounding. The tone shifts with “Revival,” as the narrator encourages those who are lost to find faith and redemption in the Lord. On the anthemic “Down South,” that search for stability takes a more literal approach as the road-weary musician yearns for the comfort of home and family. “If I Didn’t Know You” stands as the most poignant tune on the record, a love song rooted in faith in devotion. That sentiment continues through “Fool’s Gold,” where the narrator overcomes past heartbreak to find peace in a devoted relationship. “Can’t Fix You,” closes this section in a more sobering manner as the narrator reverts back to the project’s beginning with a call for help as the devil plies his trade on a loved one. The final phase begins with “Do Today,” which brings the narrative back toward perseverance and gratitude for the present. This sets the stage for the title-tack and final song on the album “Grateful,” where the arc is resolved. What begins in chaos, temptation, and helplessness ultimately gives way to redemption and gratitude, as faith in God becomes the force that brings clarity and peace. The majority of the lyrics on Grateful were written by frontman Brandon Coleman, his brother and the band’s photographer Matthew Coleman, and guitarist Drew Nix. There are a handful of others with co-writing credits throughout, yet the tracklist still feels unified in theme, and proves that this is one of the tightest bands in the business. If you’ve made it this far without having listened to the record, you might assume The Red Clay Strays have delivered a full-blown gospel album — but that wouldn’t be quite right. In their typical fashion, the album boasts a unique rock and roll sound comprised by an amalgamation of influences, blending blues, southern rock, country, and soul into something that is equal parts nostalgic as it is revolutionary. And the result is perhaps their strongest effort yet. So, without further ado, give Grateful a listen for yourself… here’s a few early favorites: “Don’t Wanna Know” “Revival” “If I Didn’t Know You” “Grateful” The Red Clay Strays are one of the best live bands out there, too, and they’ll be playing these new songs in front of massive crowds all summer long. If they’re coming to a town near you, that’s a show you will not want to miss. The Red Clay Strays Tour Dates 6/5 – Nashville, TN – CMA Fest* 6/13 – Columbus, OH – Buckeye Country Superfest* 6/18 – Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live 6/21 – Bloomington, IN – Tailgates N’ Tallboys* 6/24-28 – Rexford, MT – The Red Clay Strays Fest at Abayance Bay Marina* 6/26 – Calgary, AB – Country Thunder Alberta* 7/11 – St. Paul, MN – Minnesota Country Club* 7/17 – Twin Lakes, WI – Country Thunder Wisconsin* 7/19 – Cheyenne, WY – Cheyenne Frontier Days* 7/30 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion+ 8/1 – Boston, MA – TD Garden+ 8/5 – Laval, QC – Place Bell+ 8/7 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at Highmark Mann! 8/9 – New York City, NY – Madison Square Garden! 8/15 – Des Moines, IA – Iowa State Fair* 8/16 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford Premier Center# 8/18 – Grand Forks, ND – Alerus Center# 8/19 – Bismarck, ND – Bismarck Event Center# 8/21 – Bozeman, MT – Brick Breeden Fieldhouse@ 8/22 – Missoula, MT – Adams Center# 8/26 – Spokane, WA – Numerica Veterans Arena% 8/27 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena% 8/29 – Portland, OR – Moda Center% 8/30 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena% 9/2 – West Valley City, UT – Maverik Center# 9/4 – Stateline, NV – Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre# 9/6 – Aspen, CO – Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Experience* 9/11 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center# 9/12 – Ontario, CA – Toyota Arena# 9/16 – San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena San Diego# 9/17 – Glendale, AZ – Desert Diamond Arena# 9/19 – Pryor, OK – Born & Raised Fest* 9/20 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center$ 9/26 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond* 9/30 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre+ 10/1 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena+ 10/3 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena+ 10/7 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena^ 10/14 – Orlando, FL – Kia Center+ 10/15 – Savannah, GA – Enmarket Arena+ 10/17 – Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium+ 10/18 – Greenville, SC – Bon Secours Wellness Arena+ 10/22-23 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena& 10/28 – Knoxville, TN – Food City Center= 10/31 – Birmingham, AL – Legacy Arena^ 11/5 – Baton Rouge, LA – Raising Cane’s River Center~ 11/6 – Bossier City, LA – Brookshire Grocery Arena~ 10/8 – Jonesboro, AR – First National Bank Arena~ 10/13 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena> *festival/fair +w/ The Revivalists & Haley Reinhart !w/ The Revivalists & Brent Cobb #w/ Dylan Gossett & Sweet Talk @w/ TBA & Sweet Talk %w/ Wyatt Flores & Sweet talk $w/ Muscadine Bloodline & Sweet Talk ^w/ Shane Smith & the Saints & Brent Cobb &w/ Sierra Ferrell & Brent Cobb =w/Wyatt Flores & Brent Cobb ~w/ Muscadine Bloodline & Brent Cobb >w/ Travis Tritt & Brent CobbThe post The Red Clay Strays Explore Faith, Love, & Redemption On Spectacular New Album ‘Grateful’ first appeared on Whiskey Riff.