Today, Minnesota songwriter Mason Jennings has released his new album Real Heart via Loosegroove Records. The record has been acclaimed by outlets like Relix, American Songwriter, No Depression, and Glide who calls it “a record that both reclaims and redefines Mason Jennings’ role as a leading light in the folk community.” Real Heart is available to stream and purchase here.
Jennings previously shared a video for lead single “On The Brink.”
"I’m very excited to be working with Loosegroove Records and to have had Regan Hagar and Stone Gossard produce this album,” writes Jennings. "We made the unabashed folk record that I have been wanting to make for years. Kind of a love letter to the acoustic guitar and to musical intimacy. Kind of a love letter to the acoustic guitar and to musical intimacy.”
Jennings and Gossard are ongoing collaborators in the supergroup Painted Shield, who released their 2021 debut album on Loosegroove, the influential indie label that Gossard founded back in 1994 issued records from acts such as Critters Buggin, Malfunkshun, Weapon of Choice and Devilhead, and was the launching point for Queens of the Stone Age’s debut album in 1998. The group has announced their second album will be released on April 22nd.
Real Heart is the sound of a musician easing back into his own skin and marking art not only on his own terms, but on his own turf, too. Jennings began recording the album at his lake house outside St. Paul, Minnesota, strumming each song while staring at the water outside. "I live in a house that's all glass windows, and I'd stare at the big lake while tracing these songs," he explains. "I used one microphone and kept everything very basic, and that's a big part of the record's vibe. You can hear the room itself. It's less about performance and pretense, and it's more like we're sitting in a room together, having a conversation. The cover art is a woven wall-hanging that my wife Josie made that is hanging on our lake house wall. That sets the tone: warmth, home, and intimacy.”
Real Heart Tracklist:
01) Tomorrow
02) Real Heart
03) Second Life
04) On The Brink
05) The Demon
06) I Feel Loved
07) The Game
08) The Wonder
09) Faded
10) How Many Days
