May 3, 2024

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Pre-order the limited edition vinyl, here

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The Knocking is both Danny Hamilton’s most personal work to date and a sonic reckoning of the singer-songwriter’s relationship to the totality of his spirit and his musical journey. A record embedded with hues of the past, present and future, The Knocking is Hamilton’s proverbial wolf at the door; and one that he ultimately welcomes with open arms. 

 

    Blues, roots, southern-fried grit – it’s all here on Hamilton’s latest record. The Knocking plays out much like a sprawling, episodic trek through the badlands and deserts of the low country. From the opening notes of “Down the Line,” one is transported to a passenger seat of an open-air Jeep, rollicking through the dawn as they find salvation or the ultimate escape. Hamilton, both the de facto narrator and the willing companion, weaves a conceptual journey throughout the album, with peaks and valleys referenced both metaphorically and literally. 

 

    Using a unique and powerful mix of keys, guitars, harmonica, and other Americana-tinged musical elements, Hamilton is at home in this aural space. His vocals have never sounded more formidable and intentionally dominant. A dynamic synthesis between the two creates a juggernaut of a release that showcases the singer-songwriter’s ability to move within and around a broad emotional spectrum. 

 

    Hamilton’s The Knocking is, at its core, unabashedly raw. It absolutely rocks – look no further than “Jump On These Blues” for an absolute barn-burner. Likewise, “Stick & Stone” lights a match on the album and continues to smolder into the epilogue of the ending track.

 

    The Knocking, which begins as an innocent and mild entry into the alchemy of music, quickly evolves into something elemental and grand. It rocks hard, but it’s simultaneously mindful of what the record intends to convey. It’s yet another record from Danny Hamilton that one wishes they had made themselves and that warrants many repeat listens.