Released in September of 2021, Billy Strings’ Renewal is his third studio album and the Grammy-nominated follow up to the Grammy-winning Home. Debuting at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass Albums chart, it was produced by Jonathan Wilson (Roger Waters, Father John Misty) and is dripping with deep bluegrass roots and flavors of jam bands, classic rock, and psychedelia. Billy Strings wrote or co-wrote 13 of the 16 tracks on the album, making it a very personal collection. Coming on the heels of the worldwide COVID shutdown and subsequent reopening, its represents breaking out of the isolated, depressed, pandemic gloom into something more hopeful and inspired to rebuild ourselves.
Three songs really anchor Renewal and define the full experience: “Love and Regret,” “In the Morning Light,” and “Hide and Seek.” The emotional weight of “Love and Regret” grounds the album in reflection and growth. “In the Morning Light” offers a moment of warmth and clarity that feels like the album’s heart exhaling. This is the “sip and settle” moment of the record. “Hide and Seek” expands everything outward, both musically and emotionally, delivering a powerful and deeply personal centerpiece that lingers long after it ends. Its depth of meaning intensified by the chorus’ inclusion of the final texts to Billy from a friend before their suicide. Together, these tracks create the emotional arc of the record, turning Renewal from a showcase of virtuosity into something far more human, immersive, and lasting.
Renewal is a soul-stirring journey where tradition meets transformation, weaving blistering bluegrass virtuosity with moments of deep reflection, ultimately landing somewhere between the front porch and the horizon. It’s restless, rooted, and beautifully alive.
Highlights
Know It All: Billy comes out swinging, fast, technical, confident, sets the tone for the whole record, immediately tells you “This ain’t your grandpa’s bluegrass, kid”
Love and Regret: The emotional core, vulnerable and reflective, ties directly into the album’s theme of growth and renewal, slows things down just enough to let the heart of the record breathe
In the Morning Light: One of the most beautiful tracks Billy’s ever written, warm, intimate, and grounded, the calm in the middle of the storm
Hide and Seek: The centerpiece, where the album goes deep both emotionally and musically, long, jammy, and heavy with real-life weight
Red Daisy: One that just rips, short, punchy, and pure fun, the perfect contrast to the heavier moments, a fan favorite and one of the most accessible tracks
“It goes from bad to worse sometimes Before it can get better I string some words together and Just try to speak the truth”
-“This Old World”, Billy Strings (2021)
The Bourbon Renewal cocktail leans right into the spirit of Renewal: earthy, vibrant, and just a little wild around the edges. The bourbon lays down that warm, woody backbone, while the lemon juice cuts through with a bright, front-porch freshness. Then that crème de cassis rolls in with a deep berry sweetness that feels like late summer bleeding into fall. It’s rich, jammy, and just a touch indulgent. A couple dashes of bitters tie it all together with a subtle complexity that lingers like the last note of a BMFS jam.
Just like Billy Strings stretches tradition into something new, this drink takes classic bourbon territory and gives it a colorful twist. It’s refreshing but grounded, sweet but balanced. Perfect for letting the album breathe, track by track, as you sip and settle in.
Bourbon Renewal
2 oz bourbon
1 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz simple syrup
1/2 oz creme de cassis
Angostura bitters
Combine all ingredients in ice filled shaker. Shake HARD.
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