June 25 2026

Clay Dubose — Father Time & Mother Nature

By Lee Zimmerman

At first glance, Clay Dubose can claim a lengthy career, one that found him cutting his musical chops on L.A.’s famed Sunset Strip in the late ‘80s, leading to his signing of a major label deal.

By the mid ‘90s, he was well on his way to achieving success on the rock charts even while helping define the nascent format that would soon be known as Americana. Nevertheless, he eventually took a break from his solo ventures to focus instead on his family and various other professional possibilities.

His new album Father Time & Mother Nature, represents his first recording in quite some time, a fully-charged return from an extended hiatus. It’s dramatic and dynamic in equal measure, a series of passionate performances that find him revived and recharged to the fullest degree.
Produced by acclaimed musician and producer Ted Russell Kamp, it features a committed cast of
backing musicians, all of whom drive the dynamic and effortlessly express the energy and
emotion inherent in each of the offerings.

While Dubose comes across as an unabashed rocker, the sentiment he shares add extra impact
and insight. There’s a sense of wistful nostalgia echoing through “When Heroes Say Goodbye”
and more than a hint of optimism wafting through the track that follows, the aptly-dubbed
“Winning Streak.” Likewise, the breezy “Scotch & Soda” expresses no small sense of abject
satisfaction.

So too, when Dubose opts to rock with a vengeance, he turns songs such as “Waiting For the
Day” and “Growing Wild” into wholly effusive anthems.

Still, the most affecting example of clarity and commitment falls to a trio of ballads. “New Game
Now” is a heartfelt paean to love in its purest form.“I Hope You’re Watching” is a tearjerker of a
tune, sung to a departed parent in hopes he or she is looking down on him and his family, and
sharing in the satisfaction he’s gained as a husband and father. On the other hand, “Broken
Mirror” suggests he’s also plagued by a certain amount of anxiety that transpires when things
don’t necessarily go as planned.

Of course, like any truly dedicated artist, angst and desperation are never far from the surface of
his songs. The riveting and relentless “Fading Away” and “Dreams Come Untrue’ leave no doubt
as to the uncertainty that plagues most individuals as they plot their way through the twists and
turns of life’s tangled trajectory.

Taken in tandem, Father Time & Mother Nature is an exercise in both form and feeling, a set of
songs that sums up Dubose’s dutiful devotion to art and existence. One couldn’t hope for a more
welcome return.

Lee Zimmerman- is a freelance music writer whose articles have appeared in several leading music industry publications. A former promotions representative for ABC and Capitol Records and director of communications for various CBS-affiliated television stations, he lives in Maryville, Tennessee.

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