Seth Walker - Why The Worry [LP]

Vinyl LP pressing. 2025 release. In the midst of recording his 12th album, wavering in his resolve to finish what he'd started, Seth Walker came to a realization. "This work does not define me. This is not who I am forever. This is just a moment." No album is trapped in amber, no song is set in stone. Distance colors compositions over the years and each album is left as a reflection of it's own period in time. This idea played a big part in shaping Why The Worry. Now, the other half of knowing is letting go; letting go of the worry about perception, the worry of over-preparation, and the worry that seeps in constantly from the news and noise of everyday life. Taking a page from Willie Nelson, Walker embraced the songwriter's sage wisdom, "I've never seen worry accomplish anything... so I decided not to do it." Truth be told, there aren't many better oracles to hang an ethos on than brother Willie. The new album finds Walker reunited with old friends and familiar names. Once again Jano Rix steps behind the boards, co-producing the album with Seth and engineer Brook Sutton. In the producer's fifth outing he's become an invaluable sounding board, the kind who knows what's missing and, just as importantly, what needs to be taken away. Oliver Wood (The Wood Brothers) lends a pen to the title track, and Seth's classically trained father Scott adds strings to "I'm Getting Ready," a song penned by Walker's contemporary Michael Kiwanuka. Mostly, though, the record was shepherded into shape by Walker's trio, rounded out by longtime confidants Rhees Williams (Guitar, Piano) and Mark Raudabaugh (Drums). The three let the studio guide them, entering without agenda, set straight by the title's mantra to stop worrying where they'd end up.