Ben Brooks is an Americana/Roots Country singer-songwriter gearing up to release his debut album, Jean on Jean. Brooks gave us the exclusive audio premiere of the album’s second cut, “California.”
“California” starts out simply before Brooks’ voice, and band, take over. The song is dedicated to people who move to big cities to pursue their dreams of stardom. Unfortunately, many of them never make it and that’s what this particular song is about. He’s using the song to pay tribute to those folks who weren’t afraid to chase their dreams.
“I wrote ‘California’ after returning home from California,” he tells Nashville Noise. “I thought about all the people who moved out to Los Angeles to be famous that you’ve never heard of because they never were. The people who moved out to the West coast to follow their dreams of being a rockstar or famous actor/actress. Most of them probably either got a job doing something else or moved back home and started a family. I wanted to tell their story and give them the recognition they never got.”
Listen to the exclusive audio premiere of “California” below.
Jean on Jean is Brooks’ debut album and it drops on Oct. 7. The record includes nine songs (including “California”), all of which were written by the Alabama native. Scotty Rollins produced the album and Suzanne Pfeil created the album artwork. To celebrate his big release, Brooks is playing The Basement on Oct. 10. Tickets are available here.
Stay tuned for more from Brooks and let us know what you think about the track in the comment section below.
Jean on Jean Track List:
1. “Happy Home”
2. “California”
3. “Tearing it Apart”
4. “Picture of Us”
5. “Jack and Freud”
6. “She Won’t Fall”
7. “Nothing for me Here”
8. “Angelene”
9. “Wandering Heart”
