Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Going Down to the River is country singer and songwriter Doug Seegers' debut album. The weathered face quietly smiling off into the distance is no mere pose. His story is as dramatic as it is heartbreaking, almost nearly unbelievable in the 21st century. (His bio tells it in depth.) Seegers was a homeless, addicted street singer in Nashville for nearly two decades before he got his first break thanks to Stacy Downey of the charity the Little Pantry That Could and Swedish country star Jill Johnson, who was in Music City filming a documentary on down-and-out musicians. Cut in three days at Cowboy Jack Clement's Sound Emporium, the album was produced by Will Kimbrough, who also played guitar and led an all-star cast including Barbara Lamb, Al Perkins, and Phil Madeira. Others include Buddy Miller, an old friend during the 1970s (who plays guitar on a cover of Hank Williams' "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight"), and Emmylou Harris (who reprises her role on Gram Parsons' "She"). All of Seegers' vocals are live scratch takes. As brilliant as the two covers are, they are merely icing on the cake. The ten originals are mostly spectacular, in no small part due to Seegers' deeply expressive voice; its simplicity and raw country soul are delivered in a reedy, utterly musical low tenor. The gentle yet harrowing opener "Angie's Song" offers selfless love and acceptance, because that's what the subject requires. The shadowy folkish country blues in the title track is the other side of Townes Van Zandt's detached resignation. In Seegers' desperation, he'll commit to whatever it takes for redemption from the soul-eating darkness. The swaggering honky tonk in "Hard Working Man" could have been recorded in the early '60s, but Seegers isn't "retro"; traditional country music is all he knows. In the barroom tearjerker "Pour Me," the protagonist's misery comes from seeing his lover walk in with another -- you can feel his need for liquid reinforcement in your bones. The whining pedal steel, shuffling drums, and fiddle in "Gotta Catch That Train" underscore a voice that is hell-bent on freedom. Kimbrough wisely adds saxophones on "Burning a Hole in My Pocket" (Angie is the tragic muse in this song, too) and the closer, "Baby Lost Her Way Home Again," both of which are swinging, vintage R&B-tinged honky tonk blues, no less poignant for their good-time music. Going Down to the River displays Seegers as not just the real deal, but an artist who has earned every minute of this record with years of his life. He doesn't just write and sing traditional country music, he embodies the thing itself.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From $10.83/month
Will Kimbrough, Producer - Eric Conn, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Doug Seegers, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 Capitol Music Group AB
Will Kimbrough, Producer - Eric Conn, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Doug Seegers, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 Capitol Music Group AB
Will Kimbrough, Producer - Chris Ethridge, ComposerLyricist - Emmylou Harris, FeaturedArtist - Gram Parsons, ComposerLyricist - Eric Conn, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Doug Seegers, MainArtist
℗ 2014 Capitol Music Group AB
Will Kimbrough, Producer - Eric Conn, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Doug Seegers, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 Capitol Music Group AB
Will Kimbrough, Producer - Eric Conn, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Doug Seegers, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 Capitol Music Group AB
Will Kimbrough, Producer - Eric Conn, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Doug Seegers, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 Capitol Music Group AB
Will Kimbrough, Producer - Hank Williams, ComposerLyricist - Eric Conn, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Buddy Miller, FeaturedArtist - Doug Seegers, MainArtist
℗ 2014 Capitol Music Group AB
Will Kimbrough, Producer - Eric Conn, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Doug Seegers, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 Capitol Music Group AB
Will Kimbrough, Producer - Eric Conn, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Doug Seegers, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 Capitol Music Group AB
Will Kimbrough, Producer - Eric Conn, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Doug Seegers, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 Capitol Music Group AB
Will Kimbrough, Producer - Eric Conn, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Doug Seegers, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 Capitol Music Group AB
Will Kimbrough, Producer - Eric Conn, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Doug Seegers, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2014 Capitol Music Group AB
Album review
Going Down to the River is country singer and songwriter Doug Seegers' debut album. The weathered face quietly smiling off into the distance is no mere pose. His story is as dramatic as it is heartbreaking, almost nearly unbelievable in the 21st century. (His bio tells it in depth.) Seegers was a homeless, addicted street singer in Nashville for nearly two decades before he got his first break thanks to Stacy Downey of the charity the Little Pantry That Could and Swedish country star Jill Johnson, who was in Music City filming a documentary on down-and-out musicians. Cut in three days at Cowboy Jack Clement's Sound Emporium, the album was produced by Will Kimbrough, who also played guitar and led an all-star cast including Barbara Lamb, Al Perkins, and Phil Madeira. Others include Buddy Miller, an old friend during the 1970s (who plays guitar on a cover of Hank Williams' "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight"), and Emmylou Harris (who reprises her role on Gram Parsons' "She"). All of Seegers' vocals are live scratch takes. As brilliant as the two covers are, they are merely icing on the cake. The ten originals are mostly spectacular, in no small part due to Seegers' deeply expressive voice; its simplicity and raw country soul are delivered in a reedy, utterly musical low tenor. The gentle yet harrowing opener "Angie's Song" offers selfless love and acceptance, because that's what the subject requires. The shadowy folkish country blues in the title track is the other side of Townes Van Zandt's detached resignation. In Seegers' desperation, he'll commit to whatever it takes for redemption from the soul-eating darkness. The swaggering honky tonk in "Hard Working Man" could have been recorded in the early '60s, but Seegers isn't "retro"; traditional country music is all he knows. In the barroom tearjerker "Pour Me," the protagonist's misery comes from seeing his lover walk in with another -- you can feel his need for liquid reinforcement in your bones. The whining pedal steel, shuffling drums, and fiddle in "Gotta Catch That Train" underscore a voice that is hell-bent on freedom. Kimbrough wisely adds saxophones on "Burning a Hole in My Pocket" (Angie is the tragic muse in this song, too) and the closer, "Baby Lost Her Way Home Again," both of which are swinging, vintage R&B-tinged honky tonk blues, no less poignant for their good-time music. Going Down to the River displays Seegers as not just the real deal, but an artist who has earned every minute of this record with years of his life. He doesn't just write and sing traditional country music, he embodies the thing itself.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:41:33
- Main artists: Doug Seegers
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Rounder Records
- Genre: Country
© 2014 Lionheart Music Group AB. Under exclusive license to Concord Music Group, Inc. ℗ 2014 Lionheart Music Group AB. Under exclusive license to Concord Music Group, Inc.
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz?
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalog with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets, and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.