Cris Jacobs Enlists Infamous Stringdusters As Backing Band & Guests Galore For New Album ‘One Of These Days’

Singer/songwriter and guitarist Cris Jacobs will unveil a new studio album entitled One Of These Days on April 26 featuring The Infamous Stringdusters in the role of “house band” for the guest-filled affair. The Baltimore native is accompanied by The Infamous Stringdusters and Lindsay Lou on backing vocals for “Work Song (I Can Still Sing),” the Jerry Douglas-produced collection’s lead single.

Jacobs wrote the 11 tracks included on his first new studio album since 2019’s Color Where You Are. The Infamous Stringdusters comprised of dobroist Andy Hall, fiddler Jeremy Garrett, guitarist Andy Falco, bassist Travis Book and banjoist Chris Pandolfi back Cris on all but one of the record’s songs. Jerry Douglas added dobro to two tracks in addition to producing. Lindsay Lou, Billy Strings, The McCrary Sisters and Lee Ann Womack also made guest appearances on One Of These Days.

Cris Jacobs has a long history of collaborating live with The Infamous Stringdusters and was excited to bring them aboard his first LP in five years. “I’ve always found so much comfort in roots music––in string band music,” Jacobs stated. “There’s just something about the sound of all those instruments together that resonates with me to my core and brings me grounding and peace.”

The veteran artist went through a “musical identity crisis” before starting work on One Of These Days and decided he wanted to get back to the basics on the new album. “Reminding myself to get out of my own way and keep it simple and soulful was the mantra that propelled the whole thing,” Jacobs added. “And having a guy like Jerry, a hero of mine who’s so connected to American roots music but has always been an innovator, patting me on the back and saying everything sounded good and that he liked my songs was one of the biggest boosts of encouragement I could have gotten.”

On “Work Song (I Can Still Sing),” Jacobs explores the power of vocalizing. “I was digging into the inspiration of what I wanted this record to be, reading a lot of stories about this area where I grew up,” he explained. “I read about crab pickers down on the eastern shore. All they did all day long was pick crabs––tedious, boring work. The conditions were awful. But one of them said, ‘No matter what, I could still sing, and that was all I needed to get through to the next moment.’”

Hear Cris Jacobs’ “Work Song (I Can Still Sing)” below:

Cris Jacobs will mix headlining dates, support slots and festival appearances over the next five months. Click below for a complete list of tour dates.

One Of These Days Tracklist

1. Heavy Water w/ Lindsay Lou and The Infamous Stringdusters
2. Wild Roses And Dirt w/ Jerry Douglas and The Infamous Stringdusters
3. Poor Davey w/ Billy Strings and The Infamous Stringdusters
4. Work Song (I Can Still Sing) w/ Lindsay Lou and The Infamous Stringdusters
5. One Of These Days w/ Sam Bush and The Infamous Stringdusters
6. Queen Of The Avenue w/ The McCrary Sisters, Sam Bush and The Infamous Stringdusters
7. Lifetime To Go w/ Lee Ann Womack and The Infamous Stringdusters
8. Daughter, Daughter w/ Jerry Douglas
9. Cold, Cold Walls w/ The McCrary Sisters and The Infamous Stringdusters
10. Pimlico w/ The Infamous Stringdusters
11. Everybody’s Lost w/ The Infamous Stringdusters