Cleaves, Slaid – Together Through The Dark

Slaid Cleaves. modern day traveling folk singer. He’s telling your story. Writes and records songs that strike people’s hearts and become a part of their lives. Americana/folk stalwart Slaid Cleaves has been putting out highly acclaimed records for 25 years now, consistently delivering songs that strike people’s hearts and become part of their lives. Together Through the Dark is no different. Producer Scrappy Jud Newcomb and Cleaves teamed up for the third time in early 2022 between Covid surges to record a new batch of songs, Slaid’s first in five years. Familiar themes of struggle and resilience will be a surprise to no one. As Scrappy puts it, “This album speaks to the hopeful, the hard working, the battered, confused, and the sad. But above all to the believers in the city of freedom that we heard in the stories of our youth and all those FM radio hits.” The first single, “Through the Dark,” was co-written with Slaid’s long-time collaborator and life-long friend, Rod Picott (“Broke Down,” “Take Home Pay”). Slaid describes it simply as “a song about offering comfort in hard times.” In January, 2023, “Through the Dark” reached #4 on the Americana Music Association Singles Chart, and took the #4 position on Spotify’s The Pulse of Americana (600k likes). Joseph Hudak of Rolling Stone calls Cleaves, “a master storyteller, one influenced not by the shine of pop-culture but by the dirt of real life.” “More than 20 years into his career, Slaid Cleaves just keeps getting better . . . There are few contemporaries that compare. He’s become a master craftsman on the order of Guy Clark and John Prine.” -Austin Chronicle