Music
CHRIS JONES & THE NIGHT DRIVERS
“Quiet Click”
DESCRIPTION:
Even before he formed The Night Drivers 25 years ago, Chris Jones established himself as a compelling singer of country songs that tell of heartbreak. And while his early catalog is dotted with covers of artists like Merle Haggard and Tom T. Hall, in recent years he’s kept it closer to home, with a steady stream of fresh, well-crafted originals that honor the tradition while offering thoughtfully contemporary updates.
For their third single, since he and long-time Night Driver Mark Stoffel (mandolin, vocals) were joined by award-winning bassist and singer Marshall Wilborn and Grace Van’t Hof (banjo, ukelele, accordion, vocals), Jones serves up a perfect example of his winning way with a lonesome tale in “Quiet Click.”
“This is in some ways a classic country heartbreak ballad,” says Jones. “But it’s about a relationship ending not with a big fight, but with a soft closing of the door, making it that much harder to deal with. This one showcases the trio singing of the new lineup of the Night Drivers, with harmony vocals from Mark Stoffel and Grace Van’t Hof.”
Embellished with steel guitar by master musician David Johnson, the song finds its narrator contemplating the paradox Jones describes—an irreversible break-up made all the more devastating for its near silence, culminating in the chorus’s stoic, haunting lines: “It wasn’t like a wrecking ball breaking down the house…Her goodbye didn’t come with a slamming door, instead, it came with just a quiet click.”
Punctuated with a simple, memorable signature lick and featuring a typically tasteful solo from Stoffel, “Quiet Click” is a quiet yet powerful slice of country bluegrass to reaffirm that Chris Jones & the Night Drivers remains one of the most musically elegant artists around.
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