Renowned Songsmith Sean McConnell On Tour with The Wood Brothers

Nashville's Sean McConnell makes a triumphant return to home base with his new album Undone, available now on Rounder Records. The 11-song acoustic collection captures the singer-songwriter's two most arresting skills: room-shushing story songs and gut-punching vocals. The project is an inspired re-recording of last summer's Sean McConnell, with the addition of a new duet, "Nothing on You," written with and featuring the peerless Lori McKenna.

With an impressive mix of mainstream heavyweights, pop stars and Americana stalwarts cutting his songs, his 2016 Rounder Records eponymous debut found Sean McConnell "come into his own," says No Depression. "The type of country artist we all want more of on the radio... a skilled songwriter turned performer."

When asked why it deserved an acoustic revisit, McConnell doesn't hesitate. "The main reason is I've just always known I wanted to have an acoustic version of these songs ready for people to hear," he says. "It's the kind of collection that really calls for it. I could hear it in my head the whole time, that this record had a second life in a different soundscape."

Lonely piano kicks off the record on "Holy Days," as McConnell explores that distinct blend of captivity and freedom that defines youth. He treads similar ground on "Ghost Town" as he haunts streets, parking lots, and names left behind to grow up. Stunner "Queen of St. Mary's Choir" traces McConnell's personal history to gritty, poetic perfection, proving it's often a writer's most obviously autobiographical work that resonates most deeply with audiences. One of many showcases for McConnell's breathtaking vocals, "Babylon" features accompanying keys and bemoans the confusion that unfolds when things fall apart with heartbreaking clarity.

Sweet "Hey Mary" is a guitar-driven charmer, while "One Acre of Land" is a moving offer to build real love that lasts. Performed and written with McKenna, the sparse and gorgeous "Nothing on You" captures the eclipsing power of love. "We laughed as much as we sang," McConnell says of recording the track with McKenna. "It just took a few passes, and that was it. It's a memory I'll always cherish, and it's a real thrill to have it be a part of this collection."

Parcbench.Live calls Undone, "a careful, fragile, ultimately stronger-than-steel collection of songs." While The Daily Country notes that, "the simplicity of the stripped down production adds even more weight and intimacy to his flawless vocals and powerful stories," and Culture Fly claims, "here (McConnell) has produced a worthy addition to the venerable canon of Americana."

McConnell will bring Undone on the road this fall opening for The Wood Brothers.

Undone is available now.

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