Growing up in Alabama, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sylvia Rose Novak immersed herself in the world of folk music, classic country and Southern Gothic literature. Shaped by her musician parents and inspired by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez as much as William Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor, Novak developed her sharp lyricism and keen eye for detail.
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Those finer points are on full display in "Devil's in the Details," which Wide Open Country is exclusively premiering today. The driving folk-country confessional is the latest release from Novak's upcoming album Someone Else's War (out on Oct. 5). Backed by a soaring fiddle, Novak provides a slice of soul-baring realism on an album that finds her ruminating on human nature and the state of the world.
Novak says "Devil's in the Details' is one of the most personal songs on the album and one of self-acceptance.
"Things are never just black and white, and I think that there are certain people who are much better at seeing shades of grey," Novak tells Wide Open Country. "This song, honestly, is the most personal narrative on Someone Else's War. It's the only song about which I feel comfortable saying, 'Yes. This is me. This is my life.' I hate to say that there's an air of resignation in the lyrics because the music is so upbeat, but there is, and the juxtaposition was by design. I've figured out that the average listener isn't always hanging onto your every word, and I wanted to take advantage of that with "Devil's in the Details." Because the devil is, very definitely, in the details here."
Listen to "Devil's in the Details" below.
Someone Else's War is the follow-up to Novak's 2014 album Chasing Ghosts.
Sylvia Rose Novak is currently on tour across the U.S. For a full list of tour dates, visit here.
