Nell Robinson and Jim Nunally Take the Long Way Home (Premiere)

Nell Robinson and Jim Nunally love the road, and they revel in the adventure of uncovering new corners of this old world that people call home. Over the course of 2016, they released four EPs—North, South, East and West—which they sold exclusively at concerts. On each of those EPs, Robinson and Nunally celebrated the music of that region, introducing listeners to the threads woven together to make a culture there.

Nell Robinson & Jim Nunally Band’s new album, Baby Let’s Take the Long Way Home, is all about place and community; the songs evoke the longing for home (“Home’s Where I Long to Be”), the desire for moving on (“I Hear a Southwind”), or the search for belonging and identity (“Hillbilly Boy”). The pull of the open road sparkles brightly in their new video of the album’s title track and finds the couple driving a 1960 Chevy Impala along California’s backroads. As they told me recently about this trip:

JIM: “We were driving home from L.A. on our tour, talking about getting off the main road and taking the long way home. Then we actually did it! It made the trip so much more interesting and enjoyable, not taking the same route everyone else takes.”

NELL: “It’s about being in a different time in your life too. When you’re working, raising kids, or doing both at the same time, it’s all about efficiency. So, the idea of off the phone, not using the GPS, and maybe even getting lost – wouldn’t that be fun? The kids are doing all right and we’re old enough to feel secure with the meandering route.”