Nicolle Galyon releases today her new EP – second wife – co-written with husband Rodney Clawson.
There’s always been a realness and authenticity to Nicolle Galyon that others aspire to hit, but shy away from hitting in full. She demonstrated that on her debut album – firstborn – last year and continues to demonstrate that on new EP second wife, out everywhere today. For years, Galyon has been a staple in the Nashville song-writing scene, with 10 No. 1s to her name, but has largely kept her private life, just that. For 16 years, she has been married to fellow hit songwriter (George Strait, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney) ) Rodney Clawson. Now, the duo have teamed up to co-write Galyon’s surprise new EP second wife out on their 16th wedding anniversary. It’s a delightfully poised project, brimming with love – the real kind that allows for arguments, dirty dishes and mess, rather than just painting a fairytale. The EP was co-written by the couple over a long weekend at their farm, just outside of Nashville, and recorded with co-producers Jimmy Robbins and King Henry at the famed Sonic Ranch in Texas.
The EP opens with the prelude track ‘jo,’ in which Galyon expresses her gratitude to her mother-in-law for the ways that she helped shape Clawson. ‘You’re why he ain’t average, jo.’
The track moves then seamlessly into the tongue-in-cheek and witty bluegrass-tinged track ‘prenup,’ where the two joke around about why they had no need for a prenup in their marriage, trading vocals back and forth, listing the things the other might get if they ‘called it quits,’ namely ‘Half of my first Nokia phone / Half of my khaki corduroys… Half of my uncut country songs‘ but that regardless ‘If you keep looking at me that way / I think we’re gonna be ok.’ It’s witty and charming and sublimely delivered. There’s a realness about the track that paired with following piano ballad ‘the grain’ shows the diversity of love stories and relationships and the depth of their pairing. ‘This ride’s been worth the pain / You’re everywhere I wanna go / Even if that goes against the grain.’
On the second half of the EP, Galyon and Clawson look back to the origins of their relationship to underline their strength against the world. On ‘rooms,’ Galyon remembers how she felt walking into rooms at the start of their relationship as it evolved and the anxieties that she felt from outdoor judgements. rooms – ‘walking into rooms with you / and hearing who the hell is she / heard he found somebody new / can’t believe she’s 23 / head up high and bite my tongue / find the bar and order two / hey fuck em all cuz i’m the one / walking into rooms with you.’ It’s a beautifully delivered track centring around the idea of ‘us against the world,’ but offering a vulnerable look into her own internal psyche at the time. ‘texas hold ’em’ by contrast offers a cheekier side of falling in love with a Texas boy.
The EP concludes with one of the strongest and most poignant moments on the record – ‘under the rainbow’ – it’s a stripped back and real love song about real life, nodding to their recent move back to her hometown. ‘Somewhere under the rainbow / you and I / wind blows chimes on the back porch / while both the babies cry / somewhere under the rainbow / life is real / faucet drips while you kiss my lips and my coffee spills.’
Second Wife is a delightful EP, continuing to demonstrate Galyon’s ability to show her flaws, be self deprecating but confidently so. It’s a portrait of a real marriage, one that is made more beautiful by showing its flaws and continues to leave us begging for more from Galyon as she pursues this artistic journey.
second wife Tracklisting
1. “jo.” (Rodney Clawson, Nicolle Galyon)
2. “prenup.” (Rodney Clawson, NicolleGalyon)
3. “the grain.” (Rodney Clawson, Nicolle Galyon)
4. “rooms.” (Rodney Clawson, Nicolle Galyon)
5. “texas hold ’em.” (Rodney Clawson, Nicolle Galyon)
6. “under the rainbow.” (Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg)
