Nick Chandler and Delivered’s return with the new single “Old Devil’s Dream” is one of the biggest events on the 2024 bluegrass calendar. The Thomas Goldsmith-written tune continues offering the same narrative-driven lyrical content that distinguished Chandler and Delivered’s 2022 collection Silver Bird. It’s the first taste of their forthcoming full-length sophomore release as well. “Old Devil’s Dream” reinforces the aesthetic driving the band’s artistic vision, builds on Silver Bird’s momentum, and expands the quartet’s thematic purview.
The arrangement has a gentle yet confident upward sweep that energetically carries listeners to the chorus. Chandler and his bandmates achieve a near-perfect balance between showcasing their instrumental talents, while still serving the song’s storytelling attributes. “Old Devil’s Dream” emphasizes the genre’s eternal verities. There’s fluid banjo playing throughout the performance, as well as sparkling mandolin work.
Their vocal presentation is exemplary. Chandler and Delivered’s harmonies are rich without ever sounding lush, and the dueling voices tackle the tune in lockstep from the outset. Nick Chandler and Delivered share across-the-board chemistry. Keen-eared listeners will discern it in their instrumental and vocal character after a single listen. They will never feel like listening to their new single is a slog.
The lyrical content strikes a familiar tone. Many classic bluegrass songs have an instructive bent, imparting life’s lessons through performed poetry, and “Old Devil’s Dream” aspires to the same ideal. Thomas Goldsmith’s writing shares a similar scope. He writes about flesh and blood lives and the wages of their experience without ever hectoring the listeners or pronouncing overt judgments. Instead, Goldsmith invites listeners to draw their own conclusions. The line-by-line focus of “Old Devil’s Dream” is lean and serves the song rather than attempting to overshadow the music with hollow pseudo-poetics. Its plain-spoken clarity will appeal to listeners of every stripe.
The brevity of the single is another strength. “Old Devil’s Dream” barely breaks the two-and-a-half-minute mark. Chandler and his cohorts in Delivered do a fantastic job condensing their musical and lyrical message into an entertaining and action-packed duration that doesn’t put a foot wrong. Their confidence is born from considerable experience but, perhaps most importantly, absolute certainty in what they wish to convey.
“Old Devil’s Dream” is an excellent way for newcomers to acquaint themselves with Nick Chandler and Delivered’s artistry. It will reaffirm longtime admirers’ fandom without ever sounding like a retread of past glories. This is an unit confidently moving into the future with satisfying new music checking off every box. It isn’t difficult to hear why bluegrass aficionados consider Chandler and his musical partners pre-eminent in this genre.
Moreover, it is not hard to assume they’ll continue following this path for years, if not decades, to come. Nick Chandler and Delivered produce durable, timeless musical art capable of withstanding the capricious winds of changing fashion. They embrace timeless themes that aren’t bound by time or place. “Old Devil’s Dream” pours old wine into new bottles, keeping one foot in today, and another in the past without ever sounding off balance.
Mindy McCall
