Charles Wesley Godwin - Family Ties (2023) Hi-Res

Charles Wesley Godwin had a lot riding on Family Ties. The West Virginia-born singer-songwriter built a still-growing fanbase with his first two records, 2019’s Seneca and 2021’s How the Mighty Fall, landing a record deal with Big Loud in the process. That increased visibility created some pressure for Godwin, who tells Apple Music he experienced bouts of writer’s block while putting the project together, particularly when considering how his wife and young children depended on his income. It wasn’t until he confronted those feelings of fear, though, that he was able to start writing again, finding peace and comfort in the process. It also reminded him of why he started writing songs in the first place. “I'm going to do this for the rest of my life,” Godwin tells Apple Music. “I love this. This is what makes me happy. So I plan on doing this until I'm an old man and I can't do it anymore.”

Family Ties is a sprawling and ambitious record. At 19 tracks, it’s nearly a double album and Godwin’s longest release, making it an exciting introduction for new fans and a greater glimpse at Godwin’s artistry for longtime listeners. The album is bookended with an overture (“Tell the Babies I Love Them”) and an underture (“By Your Side”), lending the project a novelistic feel that fits Godwin’s narrative, highly vivid style of songwriting. Highlights include “Miner Imperfections,” inspired by Godwin’s father’s experiences as a coal miner in Appalachia, and “The Flood,” a particularly epic track that Godwin wrote and recorded in under 24 hours. Bruce Springsteen fans will especially enjoy “10-38,” which imagines what would have happened if a cop had pulled over the narrator of The Boss’s Nebraska cut “State Trooper.” Below, Godwin shares insight into several key tracks.