Press play on Gabe Dixon’s ecstatic new solo collection, Lay It On Me, and you’ll hear sheer, unadulterated joy radiating out from every single track. Given Dixon’s prodigious resume—as a frontman, he’s performed everywhere from Kimmel and The Late Show to Bonnaroo to High Sierra, and as a sideman, he’s toured and recorded with the likes of Paul McCartney, Alison Krauss, and Tedeschi Trucks Band—it may seem like a foregone conclusion that his solo work would sound this confident, but in truth, the road has been a long one, and Dixon’s arrival at this moment feels less like a culmination and more like the start of a thrilling new chapter.
“I’ve been on this journey of learning to believe in myself and my music for most of my life,” says the Tennessee native. “It takes time to figure out what really matters, what the important things are.”
With Lay It On Me, it’s clear that Dixon has found them. Recorded with producer Dustin Ransom, the album is a celebration of the strength and support that comes with stability and commitment. The songs are honest and hopeful and the arrangements are bright and buoyant to match, blending vintage soul grooves with effervescent pop hooks and addictive rock and roll energy. Dixon and Ransom played nearly all of the instruments here themselves, and the utterly intoxicating results are a testament to the power of creative freedom, a bold, self-assured statement from an artist learning to trust his gut and embrace his instincts like never before.
