Otis Gibbs - The Trust of Crows (2025)

The new album, The Trust of Crows by Otis Gibbs continues his magnificent journey across the American musical landscape. This album marks his tenth studio production. In the 23 years since he first entered the independent music scene with 2002’s 49th and melancholy, his sound has grown and matured with the wisdom of experience. Backed by a band and following a motif threaded throughout each of the songs, this album showcases the full breadth and depth that Mr. Gibbs has hinted at in his past work. InThe Trust of Crows, the instrumentation, lyrics, and reverb filled guitar chords create a thematic environment where the narrative of his story finds the space it needs to succeed. In this reviewers humble opinion, it is his best work to date.

This is a grass roots funded and sponsored album. It was produced by Otis Gibbs and Thomm Jutz, mastered by Alex McCollough and engineered by Sam Jenkins. Besides Otis’ vocals, the band consists of Thomm Jutz on guitar, Dave Jacques on bass, and Lynn Williams on drums. Like all of Mr. Gibbs work, these songs and the instrumentation on them are all well-conceived, well-crafted and, well, intentional in every aspect. The layering of sounds is impeccably done and time was well spent in putting this album together. From Otis’ writing on the concept of the album, this is an album that started with a simple phrase written out 20 years ago and coming to fruition in today’s landscape. Sometimes it takes a while to earn the trust of crows, sometimes you have to earn your own trust. On this album, Otis Gibbs has earned his own trust and created a stellar independent record that is exactly the album he wanted and needed to make in this moment.

The refrain, “wise is the man who earns the trust of crows” is the motif running throughout the album as well as its raison d’etre. Otis tells the story of first moving to East Nashville and finding himself sitting on the porch and feeding the birds. The consistency in his feeding and presence earns him the trust of the birds and squirrels. But it takes time and patience to earn the trust of the crows in his yard. Eventually, he earns the trust of the crows around him and gains the wisdom it implies. In this first song, a character named Mr. Wendell is used as reference to the Counting Crows and their song “Mr. Wendell,” as well as a simile for himself and how he perceives the world. It’s an excellent track. The instrumentation is layered and nuanced and any listener can hear the passion flowing from his voice.

Tracks like “Eastside,” “Raze,” “Maybe in Memphis,” “Tennessee,” and “Mountains” reference his experiences and observations of life in the Volunteer State. Each has a great hook and create a full picture of the life around him. They tie in to the motif of patience, duration, and consistency. Seeing the world around him, these songs are a perception from a birds eye view. The guitars highlight the experience, while the percussion and bass keep time to the flapping of wings. The natural rasp in his voice continues telling the story of his experience and compels us to see the landscape unfolding from the height of his vantage point.

Otis’ voice is unique and hovers between the gravel of Tom Waits and the baritone authority of Bob Seger. It adds a gravity to each song harmonizing with the guitar. It’s especially poignant on the song “Empty Spaces.” On this track, a slower Chicago blues song, his voice is echoed by the layering of guitars. Instead of conceptualizing empty space as the world around, it is instead the place “wrapped in corrugated tin.” Easily, this track can be extended into a smoky bar burner of a song when played live. The majority of songs seem partially designed with spaces in them where jammy improvisation when played live is possible.

The song “Ditchweed” stands out for its rocking groove. It’s more upbeat and the refrain, “Ditchweed, Ditchweed, it’s just an unloved flower” is a funny playful mentioning of marijuana and another way of perceiving it. Within the songs lyrics is an embedded verse that gives us a moment in time encapsulated and spun poetic while holding to the motif. “Pale moon waning as black birds dot the sky, but the crows are my friends and I wave to them passing by.”

This is not a metaphor, but an actual occurrence that Otis has earned through developing the trust of crows. Earned experience is the lifeblood of Otis’ music making and is exceptionally well thought through as he embeds it in each of the tracks of the album. The entire album is procured and worth more than a few listens. Like earning the trust of crows, digesting and understanding the depths of this album comes from time well spent with it, patience, and consistency. This is Mr. Gibbs’ best work to date. This album is a soundscape of the experiences of Otis’ life in Tennessee and its unique in its birds eye perspective of his world. In the vein of Americana roots rock, and with an unmistakable vocal sound, this album is a great listen time and time again.