The ballad “In the Pines” has been covered by legendary musicians from Loretta Lynn to Kurt Cobain with each artist adding their own interpretation to what the verses conjure for the listener. Today, a soulful adaptation will be added to the ranks with the release of the single from cowboy crooner Sterling Drake.
Drake’s voice and added lyrics evoke the turmoil of a lonely life amidst the trees, speaking to the hard winters’ cowhands have endured in the big sky state, like those experienced in 1885-1886 and depicted in the famous western novel We Pointed Them North.
While those years were the worst on record, Drake understands the way weather affects ranchers and their stock, as he spends most of his time not in Nashville, TN like many country artists but tending cattle from the saddle alongside other ranch hands on 80,000 acres in Montana.
“In the Pines” reflects the honesty and heart found in all of Drake’s music but takes a slightly different tone than his previous album “Roll the Dice,” which reflected a heavy influence of western swing. A fluid songwriter, Drake expressed more of his rugged cowboy roots in his recent “Highway 200” single, speaking to the dance hall culture of his day work in Wyoming and his long-time ranch work in Montana.
Sterling Drake is as genuine and hardworking as he is talented, and continues to hold his place as a songwriter and powerful picker who can write songs to match the culture of the land he lives in.
Download his song now (In The Pines (orcd.co) and stay tuned for the release of his EP in Fall 2023. In the meantime, catch him at a show in Montana, Texas, or even Key West.
