“Beautiful Losers” is the new single and album from Stony Point Rd, otherwise known as Swedish songwriter and musician Ola Göransson. Despite the artist’s Scandanavian roots, he has created a deeply American record. Or, with more specificity I should say he has created a deeply Americana record. “Beautiful Losers” (both the album and song) are steeped in the traditions of that singer/songwriter hybrid of Rock, Folk and Country music we like to call Alt-Country.
The album’s title track is also its first single, and the lead-off track on the record. Stony Point Rd. weaves acoustic guitars, Hammond organs, lap steel and blues riffs together into a slow Southern stew. The band grooves with the freedom of the Stones, but with more twang. The vibe feels a bit like Wilco, with George Harrison on slide guitar.
At the heart of the tune is Göransson’s folky drawl and a touching, colorful story about the loss of a lifelong friend. Singing with a perfect melancholy bar room rasp, the singer relays stories of “The strangest kid in town, the strangest one around.” With all the skill and charm of Dylan, Tweedy and all of the great folk rocker poets, Ola follows his friends’ life from the schoolyard to the cemetery. By the time the song is over, we have all fallen in love with the beautiful loser.
The song “Beautiful Losers” is 100 % a true story about a friend of mine from when I was young, even down to the funeral service with the Elvis impersonator.
Ola Göransson
The “Beautiful Losers” album is a project twenty years in the making. Ola explains that he wrote most of its eleven songs in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. He finally decided to put the songs to tape and hired a crack team of American Rock and Country artists to record them. His band members have worked with everyone from Jason Mraz to Bob Dylan. You can hear them in action on the Deep Indie Dive playlist. And follow the links below to connect with Stony Point Rd, and check out the entire album.
Connect:
Beautiful Losers on the Deep Indie Dive playlist
