Live A Little

On his new album Live a Little, acclaimed Nashville indie-rock singer-songwriter Tommy Womack reminds us that every moment is precious. “I could have called it Life Goes On, but that would have been a little maudlin and a little too obvious,” Womack says. “The flip side of the death that runs though the record is life is fleeting, and don’t let it pass you by. Life goes on, yes, and you should live a little as long as you are here.” Womack explores both dying and living on the album. The entire album is written from the perspective of an older, wiser guy; someone who has lived and learned and grown as a person and as an artist. Producer Eric Ambel calls it a “reflective record,” and while Womack may be in a reflective mood, it doesn’t blunt his artistic edge, which is honed with irony and humor. Live a Little is Womack’s ninth solo album, and it is arguably his best. As usual, he offsets the heavier songs with humorous ones. Womack recorded the album at Ambel’s Brooklyn studio Cowboy Technical Services. They began discussing recording together after a tribute concert in New York in February 2024 for Ambel’s late Del-Lords’ bandmate Scott Kempner. Kempner had recorded Womack’s song “I’ll Give You Needles” on his 2008 album Saving Grace. “It was a lot of fun for me,” Ambel says. “Tommy carries a sneaky sophistication. There are some sophisticated chord changes, and being a Beatles, Cheap Trick, Kinks fan helps pull things a little bit away from the middle. And I’m coming from that same place.”