Pick of the Week: Trombone Shorty “Come Back”

By Miles Levine, Staff Writer

“Come Back'' was the first single released from Trombone Shorty’s upcoming album Lifted. The album will become his first in five years upon its release on April 29th of this year.  Lifted is dedicated to Trombone Shorty’s late mother whom he took great inspiration from. The artist puts his New Orleans soul into his brass playing and creates a meaningful piece of music.

BREAKING DOWN THE SOUND AND MEANING  OF “COME BACK”

“Come Back” features layers of horns, a heavy bassline, and 70s organ and guitar. The song combines funk and psychedelic rock in a high-energy performance. Trombone Shorty shared his approach to creating a certain feel on songs from Lifted in an interview with American Blues Scene.“I think Lifted is the closest we’ve ever gotten to bottling up the live show and putting it on a record. This time around I told everybody to really cut loose, to perform like they were onstage at a festival,” he said.

“Come Back” is about keeping perseverance and determination during times of struggle. Trombone Shorty sings about missing an important figure in his life. He begs them to come back to him and expresses feelings of grief and regret. He sings, “Since you’ve been away I’ve been hurting.” Trombone Shorty displays resilience and by the end of the song, comes to accept his reality. 

WHAT’S NEXT FOR TROMBONE SHORTY?

Trombone Shorty will be touring across the United States, Europe, and in Mexico to share songs off of his upcoming record Lifted as well as pieces of his past discography. The tour begins in late April and ends in November of 2022. He is on the schedule to perform at the venue Leader Bank Pavillion in Boston on June 11th.

Every Monday, our music staff brings you a new Pick of The Week, detailing some of our favorite songs. Check out our previous Picks of the Week here, and make sure to tune in to WERS 88.9FM!