ROLL THEM BONES

THERE WAS A FRESH AIR OF FEARLESSNESS AND DERRING-DO THROUGHOUT BROTHERS OSBORNE’S FIRST RECORDS — THE PAIR CAME ON LIKE YOUNG BUCKS EAGER TO SHOW OFF THEIR STUFF. THAT UNBRIDLED SPIRIT IS AT A FEVER PITCH THROUGHOUT SKELETONS

BROTHERS OSBORNE SINGER-GUITARIST TJ Osborne lets out a throaty, good-natured laugh when asked if he and his brother, John, felt more pressure cutting their third and latest album, Skeletons, than on their first two studio outings. “I assume that’s a rhetorical question,” TJ says before running down a list of hardships the country-rock duo endured. “First, John came down with tinnitus. That came out of nowhere right before we started recording, so we had to reschedule things a bit. He’s got it to a manageable place now, but that set us back. Then I got salmonella poisoning, I guess from eating under-cooked chicken. It took me a month to shake that off, although I was still recording vocals with cold sweats.”

“I’M FRIENDS WITH A LOT OF SESSION MUSICIANS — THEY’RE THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD — AND I KNOW THEY’RE DEALING WITH LIMITED TIME IN THE STUDIO. THEY HAVE TO GO IN AND DO THE JOB AND MOVE ON TO THE NEXT THING. I GET TO MESS AROUND AND FIND STUFF THAT’S CRAZY AND ABRASIVE”
— JOHN OSBORNE

Next, TJ recounts the tornado that tore through Nashville last March, an epic twister that ranks as the sixth-costliest tornado in U.S. history. “That was tragic for a lot of people in town, and many are still recovering,” he says. “As for how it affected us, we lost power in our studio for a week, so we ended up having to track the rest of the record elsewhere. And then COVID hit. We had to finish up the last bits while in quarantine.” He heaves a sigh and says, “You could say there was some pressure.” Beyond health issues and acts of God, there was another kind of strain the brothers experienced, although this one was self-inflicted. Following up their knockout 2016 debut, (which spawned smash singles like “Stay a Little Longer” and “It Ain’t My Fault”),, a vibey, adventurous and hook-filled set that featured the radio hits “Shoot Me Straight” and “I Don’t Remember Me (Before You).” In the increasingly pop-oriented world of country music, Brothers Osborne’s forward-thinking, crafty blend of Southern rock, outlaw country, arena anthems, soul grooves and blues swagger — highlighted by TJ’s heartfelt baritone vocals and John’s intricate, explosive guitar licks — made its mark. “We succeeded with the first two albums, and in a way that became a good kind of problem,” John says. “When people talk about your sophomore record, it’s as if their expectations aren’t so high. It’s almost like they’ll give you that one. So coming into the third album, you have to show everybody that you’re here to stay and you’re ready to take it to the next level. It was a challenge we weren’t going to turn away from.”