Bruce Springsteen Reunites With Joe Ely On ‘Odds Of The Blues’

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Joe Ely has announced his new album Driven to Drive, due out on August 2 via Rack ‘Em Records / Thirty Tigers.

Driven to Drive is Ely’s first road album, featuring a collection of songs inspired by his travels from different eras of his illustrious career.

Along with the announcement, Ely has shared the official video for the album’s first single, “Odds of the Blues,” featuring Bruce Springsteen. The video was directed by Matthew Eskey and pulls from home video footage shot by Ely, his wife Sharon and their families over the years.

“I got the idea for the song from hanging out at an all night after hours joint on the edge of east Lubbock called TV’s. there was always a dice game in the back room, the pool table had a bad lean, and the jukebox mainly played old blues songs,” explains Ely about the origins of “Odds of the Blues.”

“I wrote the song later when I put my studio together in Austin,” he continued. “I asked Bruce recently if he would like to sing with me on this song and he said he’d love to. We’ve been long lost friends for a long time. One of my memories of us singing together was in Dublin, Ireland when we both got on stage with Jerry Lee Lewis and Shane MacGowan and sang ‘Great Balls of Fire.’”

Self-produced by Ely, Driven to Drive stitches together recordings over several decades at Spur Studios, his home recording facility outside of Austin

Driven to Drive is a follow-up to Ely’s critically acclaimed 2022 album Flatland Lullaby.

Driven to Drive Tracklist:

1. Drivin’ Man2. Odds of the Blues (feat. Bruce Springsteen)3. For Your Love4. Watchin’ Them Semis Roll5. Didn’t We Robbie6. Nashville Is A Catfish7. Ride Motorcycle8. San Antone Brawl9. Slave to the Western Wind10. Gulf Coast Blues11. Driven to Drive12. Jackhammer Rock