The Test Drive: Darrel William Herbert - An Unwelcome Moment of Clarity

Darrel William Herbert has today released his new album titled ‘An Unwelcome Moment of Clarity’. This album, to me, is a long time coming in that Darrel William Herbert is a musician in the truest sense of the word. A guitarist that could probably shred but chooses to play for the song. He is also steeped in musical history and knowledge. This is no more evident than in the songs of ‘An Unwelcome Moment of Clarity’.

Each song speaks a different language, in a sense, yet each track has it’s own unique identity that culminates into the personality of the album as a whole. From the strut-line boogie of ‘Little White Lines’ to the solid earnestness of ‘Old Favorite’, there is an obviously wide gamut of music to inspire any budding guitarist and ease the isolation of every music fan.

‘An Unwelcome Moment of Clarity’ is out as of today on all major platforms.

ABOUT DARREL WILLIAM HERBERT

After building a career playing guitar for platinum-selling act the Toadies and the Geffen-signed Tomorrowpeople, Darrel William Herbert is taking a back-to-basics, DIY approach for his upcoming solo debut, An Unwelcome Moment of Clarity.

“The punk DIY aesthetic is something that I internalized from a young age,” says Hebert. “No one is going to do anything for you; if you want to make something, you have to do it yourself. On this record, I wrote, recorded, performed, mixed, mastered, made the videos, and shot the promo photos [largely by] myself.”

The result is a bold opening statement for Herbert that combines traces of his Texas upbringing in the “Willie and Waylon” era of country music with the backing of a storied career within alternative rock. Featuring contributor friends like keyboardist Rich Hilton (Chic), guitarist Paul Williams (Tablet), and drummer Mitch Marine (Dwight Yoakam), Clarity doesn’t shy away from bringing aboard Herbert’s talented friends, but the record itself is undeniably his most personal, heartfelt songwriting yet.

“The album, for me, is about self-discovery; pushing aside my ego and fear, to let go and get out of my own way and see what I could achieve,” Herbert adds. “Once I started doing that, the songs started flowing. Stories, characters, songs that weren’t noticeably about me, but about the world I saw in front of me ultimately became more a reflection of who I am than something more literal.”