Some music is created for specific circumstances in life, while some is made to encompass all moments, trying to make sense of the bigger picture.
With her upcoming album, Goldenrod — set to release tomorrow, August 8th, 2024 — folk singer-songwriter Teni Rane is creating music fit for both scenarios.
From the opening track, “Firefly,” which celebrates life’s familiar element of change, to “Here To Stay,” which welcomes the good, the bad, and the ugly, Rane’s ability to capture the versatility of life’s moments is exceptional, and represented beautifully in different delicate ways through each track.
The album’s title track reflects on the lingering theme of change, as it asks questions like, “what does change even change?” It likens this feeling to nature’s goldenrod, which stays consistent throughout the seasons, particularly in Appalachian country. Much like “Goldenrod,” the September 2023 exclusively to Bandcamp single, “Cinnamon,” makes use of the cello in much of the track, as it chooses to embrace how unavoidable change often seems, through telling the story of a love lost, from someone who “didn’t have a clue” that it ever was.
Another standout track on the album and September 2023 single, “Caramel,” despite its similar name, shares a story of rather stark contrast to Rane’s “Cinnamon.” This song shares insight on that initial “spark” in a relationship. It’s, as Rane says, “The pull of the unknown but the gut instinct that you better track it down and follow it.”
This song is an even starker contrast to other tracks on the album, like “Cold Wind (Ghost),” which gives her the opportunity to talk about the feeling of being haunted by “ghosts” of the present and past — some positive and some not — but all the same, impactful to our emotional psyche.
In Goldenrod, Rane’s themes revolve around more challenging moments in day to day life, but also more fulfilling and rejuvenating moments within nature, or “The in-between moments in the seasons.” She opens up on the difficulties of change, but also reflects on the beauty of that change through looking at the elements of nature, and that nobody can escape the inevitable.
Assisted by Grammy-nominated duo David Eggar and Phil Facitoni, Rane makes use of a unique selection of stringed instruments in this particular collection of songs, including the cello, violin, and of course acoustic guitar.
Hailing from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Rane grew up in the heart of a robust musical community, which led her to discover her own love of song through artists like Nanci Griffith, Carol King, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, and so many more. Her first release, Heart in Tennessee, a six-song EP, was released in 2020, and to further enhance her songwriting perspective, she took on a musical residency on a Swedish Island in 2022, where she recorded four other songs.
Goldenrod is full of delight and intrigue, with a kind of magic you can only experience by listening to it yourself. Unveiling thoughtful approaches to questions that can often be reassured by the majesty of nature, this album is a beautiful modern day folk treasure.
Teni Rane Tour Dates
8/7 – Chattanooga, TN – WUTC, Richard Winham Show (11am)
8/7 – Chattanooga, TN – Yellow Racket Records (LP Release) [6pm]
8/9 – Asheville, NC – Arbor Evenings @ The Arboretum
8/10 – Horse Shoe, NC – House Concert
8/16 – Bristol TN/VA – Radio Bristol – Appalachian Travels
8/17 – Norton, VA – High Knob Outdoor Fest (performing w/ Dave Eggar & Bristol Lightning)
8/20 – Emory, VA – WEHC 90.7 (Appalachian Artists Live)
9/05 – Chattanooga, TN – Heritage House Songwriters Night
9/19 – Chattanooga, TN – Asterales House Concert*
9/20 – Red Bank, TN – Food Truck Fridays*
9/21 – Chattanooga, TN – Gate 11 Distillery*
9/27 – Kingsport, TN – FunkeFest House Concert
9/28 – Knoxville, TN – WDVX Blue Plate Special (12pm)
10/2 – Fayetteville, AR – U of A Honors College House Concert*
10/3 – Fayetteville, AR – Fayetteville Public Library*
10/4 – Neosho, MO – House Concert*
10/5 – Joplin, MO – North Heights Porch Fest*
10/12 – Chattanooga, TN – Highland Park Porch Fest
10/23 – Stanton, KY – The Hive at High Rock
10/24 – Newport, KY – Falcon Theatre (Poets & Songs)
11/06 – S. Pasadena, CA – The Daily (Wine & Song) [w/ Mamma’s Marmalade]
*Trio show
