On Gold In Your Pocket, Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms craft a heartfelt, harmony-driven blend of country, bluegrass, and Cajun that invites listeners to come together and celebrate the universal language of love and storytelling.
For Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms, country music transcends the twang, tapping into something elemental—like soul music for the country heart. On their new album, Gold In Your Pocket, the duo weaves together stories as raw and uplifting as they are universal, balancing old-time influences with a lightness that departs from the tear-stained, sorrow-filled tropes of traditional country. Here, love - in its many forms of remembering, giving, and receiving - becomes the heartbeat of all 13 tracks.
Blending elements of classic country, bluegrass, old-time, and Cajun styles, Klauder and Willms are celebrated for the seamless harmony in their vocal delivery, complemented by understated pedal steel and electric guitar arrangements that pay homage to iconic country duos. Their approach, while stripped-down and deeply rooted, has a charisma that comes alive in the moment, reminding audiences of country’s communal power. “Their vibrant array of genres and sounds, from bluegrass to modern folk, share in harmonies like some of the greats - Rawlings and Welch, Harris and Parsons - and let the power of their earthen voices fit to the song,” wrote Mae Ferguson of No Depression, capturing the duo's dynamic essence.
With contributions from Cajun legend Joel Savoy and Nashville’s Chris Scruggs, and recorded in Louisiana and Nashville, Gold In Your Pocket bears a heritage that feels as authentic as it is vibrant. Based in Washington’s San Juan Islands, Klauder and Willms are cornerstones of the Pacific Northwest’s rich country and old-time music scene, which they also elevate through their work with the Caleb Klauder Reeb Willms Country Band and the revered Foghorn Stringband. In the end, Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms capture what country music and traditional folk music always have at their best: a reason to gather, sing along, and let the rhythms of a universal story move us all.