Boombox Blitz: Rusty Reid rests his head on ‘Ancient Stones’
The West Texas musician reminds the viewer of nature’s majesty in his new video.
Welcome to Boombox Blitz, an artist spotlight series showcasing overlooked singers, songwriters and musicians who are quietly taking over the world.
Mother Nature is in peril. With more animal species teetering on the edge of becoming extinct, and the greenery of countrysides and forests turning yellow or being chopped down entirely, the earth is gasping for breath. West Texas folk-rock craftsman Rusty Reid, who came of age in the ’60s and so carries with him a much more compassionate, open heart, reminds us of nature’s expansive majesty with the visual to his standout cut “Ancient Stones.” Perched at the trunk of a towering 1000-year-old spruce, whose limbs extend far beyond the physical world, the singer, songwriter and musician splits himself in two for a display of duality, further underscoring the spiritual realm that’s innate to the world flourishing (for now) around our feet.
“Touch the bark of giant trees / Let them spark a change in me / As I find my way, and I lose my youth / Turning every day into a search for truth,” he sings, also situating his own relationship with time and its firm grip around him. Condors cry and soar overhead, and soon, a bright and life-confirming rainbow pops from the clouds and casts an extravagant net over the earth below. He concludes in urging us, the dear viewers, to take heed that Mother Nature needs tenderness and great care to truly survive. “Nature’s ever faithful in the bringing / If only we will love her right,” he sings. His voice is sugar-sweet, yet earthy and climbing up the thick, syrupy guitar chords that are equally penetrating and inviting.
His lyrics are weighted with reality, perhaps a bit overcast and grey, yet he strikes a hopeful yearning that hits a rebellious chord. “Seasons ebb and flow, and our loved ones pass / Through the undertow, we surface at last / I want to see the condor fly Into the breeze and painted sky,” he sings, as he coats the senses with a stunning purity. Even so, they ring out as an alarm that it’s now or never to save what God has so graciously blessed to mankind.
“Ancient Stones” is lifted from Reid’s brand new album, Head to Heart, out everywhere now.
Watch below:
