Lawrence Rothman Here Lies Love/Sawdust to Stardust
Lawrence Rothman likes a wide canvas and broad brushstrokes. Their songs are often cinematic in scope – big music for big feelings. And, in the case of their latest album, Here Lies Love/Sawdust to Stardust, big titles. But the “bigness” is warranted – even though the songs on this record are about some of Rothman’s most intimate struggles, they’re universally relatable. Even if the details aren’t the same, the heartache – and ultimately, the resilience – speaks to all of us. It’s what good songwriters do – take their own mess and make it feel like yours. And he’s one of the very best at doing just that.
Here Lies Love/Sawdust to Stardust’s first song (and first single), “The Meaning” (written with the always-excellent Madi Diaz), is a pensive, acoustic-led number that asks what we all often wonder; who’s in control of our lives – “Who’s writing the story when I hear it in the wind/Is the truth coming from outside/Or somewhere buried beneath my skin?” Rothman’s deep, country-radio-ready voice is countered by lovely backing vocals from Kristen Weber and organ from Jen Gunderman. The album’s next track, “A Word’s a Weapon” (penned with Katie Pruitt and Jillian Jacqueline), is a twangy mid-tempo number that contends that our first – and, often, deepest cuts, come from our tongues – “Just take a second/Hold your breath in/Don’t start a war that ain’t worth fighting.” It’s a lesson, in 2026, that needs learning from the top on down.
In true country music fashion, Rothman’s not afraid of a good co-write or a solid guest vocalist. Longtime friend and collaborator Amanda Shires makes a couple of appearances, including bringing her fiddle and voice to “Karmakaze,” a follow-up of sorts to “Thrash the West” (from 2021’s Good Morning, America), in which Rothman considers a loud ending (or continuation?) of a co-dependent relationship – “Drive through night, unpack the past/Slamming doors, it’s our long last dance.” In addition to the co-writes mentioned above, Jason Isbell dips his pen (and a guitar lick or two) into “Nothing Like Shakespeare,” a country ambler about the type of short-term relationship that leaves a long-term dent – “When we got to LA/That was the last of us/She took the house/And I took the bus.” But it’s the appropriately darker “Demons” that best embodies what Rothman’s been up to over his last three albums (along with Good Morning, America and 2024’s The Plow that Broke the Plains, Here Lies Love/Sawdust to Stardust caps a trilogy of sorts). Rothman calls us to task for our collective sins (“A country built with the hands of immigrants/It’s a steal-some-land white coat experiment”) while standing up for, and empathizing with, the not-always-so-lousy lot of us – “From the sinner to the saint/From the beggar to the king/We all got demons.” None of us is above any other – we’re all a mess, but Rothman’s songs remind us that we can all help each other, too.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Nothing Like Shakespeare” – Amanda Shires, Jimbo Hart and Jason Isbell all play on it. If you’re reading Americana Highways, I don’t need to explain any further.
Here Lies Love/Sawdust to Stardust was produced by Lawrence Rothman, engineered by Louis Remenapp, Lawrence Rothman and Dylan Alldredge, mixed by Rothman and mastered by Pete Lyman. Songs written by Rothman, with co-writes going to Madi Diaz, Katie Pruitt, Jillian Jacqueline, Alex Hall, John Newman, Delaney Ramsdell, Amy Wadge, Anthony Da Costa, Sarah Klang, Dave Gibson and Jason Isbell. Musicians on the album include Lawrence Rothman (vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, keys, Mellotron, synths, pianet, Chamberlin, drum programming, percussion), Fred Eltringham (drums, percussion), Aksel Coe (drums, percussion), Brian Allen (bass), Dominic Davis (bass), Audley Freed (electric and acoustic guitar, resonator guitar), Kris Donegan (electric and acoustid guitar), Joe Kennedy (electric and acoustic guitar, Mellotron), Shaun Richardson (acoustic guitar), Peter Levin (keys, Wurlitzer, Hammond B3 organ), Jen Gunderman (keys, Hammond B3 organ, piano), Mike Webb (keys, piano), Amanda Shires (vocals, fiddle), Kristen Weber (fiddle, violin, background vocals), Alicia Enstrom (fiddle), John Marilander (mandolin), Juan Azulay (pedal steel), Philip Sterk (pedal steel), Delaney Ramsdell (featured and background vocals), Jillian Jacqueline (background vocals), Katie Pruitt (background vocals), Ben Zelico (percussion, piano, synths, drum programming), Zach Schefeild (acoustic guitar), Alex Hall (electric guitar), Betsy Lamb (viola), Austin Hoke (cello), Yves Rothman (drum programming), Sarah Klang (vocals), Anthony Da Costa (acoustic and electric guitar, piano), Theo Stacks (pedal steel), Dominic Davis (bass), Mark Raudabaugh (drums), Jimbo Hart (bass), Jason Isbell (electric guitar), and Juan Azulay (pedal steel).
Go here to order/stream Here Lies Love/Sawdust to Stardust (out September 25):
https://shop.portmerch.com/collections/lawrence-rothman
https://lawrencerothman.ffm.to/stardust
Check out future tour dates here: https://www.lawrencerothman.com/shows
Enjoy some of our previous coverage here: Song Premiere: Lawrence Rothman “The Meaning”