Originally set for a July release, the Okee Dokee Brothers will be dropping their new double album, Songs for Singin’, on 1 May. Stylistically, the album sets the brothers in more of an Everly space than Avett—and even then, more traditional. Their brand of American folk music is of an unvarnished, old-school craft. Featuring 27 songs—all original—as well as a 32-page illustrated lyric book, the decision to make for an early release came in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Okee Dokee Brothers’ hope is that their latest offers a beacon of positivity and hope for those in search of it during the quarantine.
Fittingly enough, they wrap the entirety of Songs for Singin’ up with a lullaby. “Hushabye”, like much of the Okee Dokee Brothers’ work, finds comfort in simple, singalong melodies and sweet harmonies that recall earlier times. They tell PopMatters, “This album spans from morning (disc one) to night (disc two). In the span of a day, there are natural rhythms that take us through various routines, moods, colors, and temperatures. Singing songs that match up with those daily cycles can be a life-giving ritual. Rhythmic steps on a morning stroll; syncopated raindrops in the afternoon; clanging in the kitchen; the rocking chair’s lullaby. These are all times for singing, and each song is a reminder to be present through the different Seasons in a Day.”
“We knew that the night disc needed to end with a classic lullaby to end the day—but we wanted to write our own. The feel of this tune was inspired by the deep rhythmic pockets heard in any number of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings swung ballads. The trickling melody mimics consciousness falling apart into the deep abyss of dreams. ‘Hushabye’ is the synthesis of all our favorite dreamy tunes. From ‘Hobo’s Lullaby’ to ‘Brahms Lullaby’, from trains and rails, to sheep and shepherds, to seas and sails, this lullaby is as much for the baby in dreamland as it is for the drifting adult. At the end of the day, everyone deserves some much needed sleep. We hope this tune will be sung in rocking chairs for years to come, bridging waking life with the peaceful escape of the unknown.”