FEATURING NEW SONGS “BAD MAN” AND “YOU’RE INCREDIBLE”
After recently being recognized for achieving 2 Billion career streams and being featured in the new film Rebel Country at the Tribeca Film Festival, GRAMMY nominated artist, producer, songwriter & world-class vocalist Blanco Brown invites listeners to feel the nostalgia & heavy chest of memories & emotions with his latest EP, Cedar Walls & Whiskey, the second EP release out of a three-part project. Listen to Cedar Walls & Whiskey HERE.
“Cedar Walls & Whiskey is probably the shortest yet most impactful project I have done yet. In just four songs, the world will experience how versatile my sound is and I hope they understand that within the textures, I recreate myself in every song,” says Blanco.
“Snapshot,” was the first release from Cedar Walls & Whiskey and was written by the iconic Diane Warren and produced by Blanco. The song is a poignant reflection on the special memories we keep of our loved ones and how these memories bring us back to cherished moments in our lives and provide motivation and hope when needed. Warren and Brown spent considerable time together working out of her studio forging a strong friendship. Diane remarked on their collaboration, “I’m excited for everyone to hear ‘Snapshot.’ It’s a song about holding onto the good moments so you can relive them again and again and Blanco really brings it to life. He is a fantastic and special artist and I can’t wait for everyone to hear this!”
Additional songs featured on Cedar Walls & Whiskey include “Bad Man,” a take on the slang definition where bad means good, and “You’re Incredible” a more romantic song speaking to the innate value within us all, even when we don’t feel it. Finally, “One Day Less” is a love song about not wanting to be on the earth without those we love the most.
“Regarding ‘Bad Man’, my brother actually sent me the track and the chorus. I wanted to make my mentor/friend a part of this record so I sent it to him and he wrote the coolest line ever sang! God’s been blessing me. I’m riding high. He put a lift kit on my life. The pressure was on when I wrote the second verse. ‘Bad Man’ is a bop at an all-time high!” says Blanco.
Blanco has recently aligned with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in a special initiative to raise awareness of the recent increase in crashes caused by impaired drivers, partnering with the Atlanta and Los Angeles chapters. He remarked, “It’s hard for me to understand why with all the education and knowledge we have acquired and the options for ride share companies, how we have numbers on the rise. I have partnered with MADD to help spread the word and continue educating the public. Nobody cares how much you drink or smoke, just don’t drive for the sake of yourself and others.”
“Impaired driving is a crime that does not discriminate,” says Alex Otte, MADD Regional Executive Director – Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, and former National President. “No matter who you are, where you’re from or what you look like, the 100 percent preventable decision to drink or consume other drugs and get behind the wheel of a vehicle kills more than 13,000 people and injures more than 300,000 others every single year. It is all of our responsibility: as victims, as advocates, as community members, to talk about the issue of impaired driving, raise awareness of the devastation that it causes, and support those who have been impacted.”
Blanco is celebrating a second chance at life and a newfound appreciation for everything he does. After the unprecedented chart-topping viral success of “The Git Up,” which achieved 11x Platinum status and garnered over one billion streams, Blanco was on the cusp of realizing his dreams. But in an instant, a drunk driver changed everything for him. The drunk driver hit Blanco head on while riding his motorcycle. Brown broke multiple bones in his body, required 12 blood transfusions and needed to be resuscitated in the ambulance on his way to the hospital. Despite the lengthy and challenging rehabilitation process, Blanco made a full recovery, relearning fundamental skills like walking and holding a microphone.
Blanco has faced both blessings and challenges in his career, particularly regarding the intersection of skin color and Country music. “I have encountered some challenges, but I have also been blessed with success for the thing I love the most- making music. I have been criticized by some for my disruptive style, but music evolves. Some people catch on quicker than others, but it always evolves. Look at Elvis or the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Queen or Garth Brooks- all of them contributed to great change and growth in music.”
