Reckless & Me CD With Autographed Digipak

Kiefer Sutherlands three-decade acting career has made him a familiar face around the globe but his other passion is music. Kiefers second album Reckless & Me is to be released via BMG on April 26th as the follow up to his critically acclaimed 2016 debut Down In A Hole. Once again produced by Jude Cole, Reckless & Me is a stunning 10-track record, consisting of beautifully arranged ballads and authentic country rockers with Sutherlands distinctive and unmistakable voice.

Reckless & Me emerged organically from Sutherlands touring in support of his debut. The ten songs were written primarily by Sutherland with select contributions from his producer and long-term friend Jude Cole.

They recorded the majority of the album in two sets of sessions, each spanning three or four days, at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles. Sutherland was inspired by the locations rich history, and especially by posing next to a photo of Paul McCartney looking back at a photo of Frank Sinatra. Their supporting musicians shared a strong pedigree, notably guitarist Waddy Wachtel (Stevie Nicks), drummer Brian MacLeod (Sheryl Crow) and the legendary pianist Jim Cox.

While country music is the beating heart of Reckless & Me, its songs span wider Americana, encompassing folk, rock, blues and a whole lot more. Theyre all connected by Sutherlands love of sharing stories, whether by recounting snapshot of his own life or relating the experiences of others.

As an actor I know that making a connection with an audience always comes by virtue of the story or the character, he explains. This is very different. Theyre personal stories from my life. As lucky as I am, there are things you cant avoid: friends of yours are going to die, youre going to be let down, your heart will be broken. Hopefully they help both me and the audience to realize that none of us are alone in trying to get these things in life. And theres something comforting about that. At least to me.

One of the albums immediate highlights is This Is How Its Done, a high octane honky tonk that demonstrates that Sutherlands take on country is steeped in tradition. He was waiting in a bar when he had a flashback to his youth which inspired the song, hastily scribbling the lyrics onto napkins and recording the melody onto his phone.

Its about the first night I walked into a bar, he recalls, and it was the first time Id seen two adult men beat the shit out of each other. And that happened like three minutes after I walked in the door. It scared me a bit, and Im still trying to figure out why I kept going back!

Elsewhere, the propulsive Petty-meets-Springsteen rocker Something You Love also bursts with energy. Co-written with Cole, it pays tribute to the average person who works very hard just to stay in the middle who finds themselves betrayed by big business. Has it happened to a lot of people I care about? questions Sutherland. Yes, of course it has.

The album is bookended by two songs with a special place in Sutherlands heart. Open Road dates back to 1987 when Sutherland and Cole took a road trip: Sutherland was travelling to Savannah, Georgia to film 1969 and Cole was heading to Memphis to launch his debut album. Sutherland fell asleep as they hit the Georgia state line, leaving Cole to sing to himself to stay alert. Its absolutely his song, admits Sutherland, but I feel a part of it because I was there as it was written.

And Reckless & Me comes to close with Sutherlands heartfelt ode to his daughter, Sarah. Looking back upon photos of her as a baby, he started written what eventually became Song For A Daughter. In that emotional moment, he promised to finish it. Long after Im gone, the song will still be there and shell know how much I love her, he says. I cried when I wrote it thinking about how much shes meant to my life, and how different it wouldve been without her.