Consisting of Meg and Jim Brooks, the Brookses are a father-daughter folk duo that combine to craft stirring vintage tunes layered in warm harmonies. Bolstered by their deep family bonds and a shared musical history that extends nearly two decades, the pair have spent many years developing and fine-tuning the collection of songs that make up their debut LP, Lucky Charm, and today we’re excited to bring you the title track from the forthcoming album.
A veteran of the Atlanta music scene since the ‘80s, Jim has built a career as a working musician, recording and performing in a wide array of projects—everything from folk and country to jazz and blues. In that time, he’s written countless songs, but it took a bit of serendipity—plus a little needling from Meg—to bring “Lucky Charm” to life.
“‘Lucky Charm’ is an old song of mine I wrote and used to perform more than 20 years ago,” Jim says. “Meg heard an old tape of it and asked if we could do the song on the album—I told her we could so long as she would sing lead! It’s a folk blues tune about that magic brass ring that’s always just out of reach—that person or moment or lucky break you always hope is just around the corner that’s going to completely change your life. Since the song had a lot of history for us, we thought it made sense to call the whole album Lucky Charm.”
Recorded with Damon Moon at Standard Electric Recorders, the track is steeped in classic tones that wrap themselves around like a warm blanket around Meg’s rich, soulful voice. On the surface, the song feels quaintly traditional, speaking to the fading allure of bygone era. But the modern production, not to mention the band’s inspired performances, inject the song with just the right mix of contemporary flair and good old-fashioned artistry.
“We tracked everything live with the band in one room to let the musicians play off each other and let the songs breathe,” Jim explains. “We had some of the best players in Atlanta on the record—Adam Goodhue is on drums, Rob Henson is on bass, and Scott DePoy is on fiddle. When you have players that good, you have to take advantage of that live chemistry and getting that good ‘bleed’ over all the microphones to get the warmth we were looking for.”
Listen below.
Lucky Charm is out April 26.
The Brookses will celebrate the release of Lucky Charm on Thur., May 2 at Red Light Café alongside Collins Drive. Doors open at 7 p.m. Admission is $10 in advance or $15 at the door.
More Info
Web: thebrookses.net
Facebook: @brooksesmusic
Instagram: @brookses.music