Wood Burnt Red have released a radio edit of ‘Count My Blessings’, one of the more personal tracks from their debut album Hold On Tight. The new single follows ‘Fire Me Up’ and ‘Best Things’ and arrives as the UK Southern rock four-piece prepare for a busy run of live dates stretching from November into early 2027.
Released on 14 October, ‘Count My Blessings’ tackles addiction and the difficult reality that stopping an addictive behaviour does not necessarily make everything feel immediately better. For frontman Tom Franklin, the song is about what comes after the decision to stop, when the habit may be gone but the urges, damage and questions surrounding it can remain.
“‘Count My Blessings’ is about the battle with addiction,” says Franklin. “Addiction is a constant battle even after the habit is kicked. The urges don’t just go away, hence the saying once an addict, always an addict. It’s a constant fight.”
Life after addiction
Franklin describes the song as looking beyond the simple idea of recovery as an instant solution. Instead, it explores the frustration of expecting to feel repaired once an addiction has been confronted, only to discover that recovery brings its own challenges.
“It’s about the feeling of, right, I’ve stopped it now, so why don’t I feel better? Why am I not fixed? Why don’t I feel normal? And trying to find that reason to feel whole again.”
The song also touches on the way addiction has traditionally been framed through ideas of temptation, guilt and redemption. Franklin says getting clean can feel like being given a second chance, but stresses that whether the addiction involves alcohol, drugs or gambling, the urges do not simply vanish. Learning healthier ways to deal with them becomes part of the ongoing process.
That subject matter sits comfortably within Hold On Tight, an album built around real-life experiences rather than abstract storytelling. Across its eleven tracks, Wood Burnt Red move through love, loss, resilience, relationships and survival while combining Southern rock, country and blues influences.
‘Hold On Tight’ gathers momentum
Released on 4 September, Hold On Tight is the band’s debut album and was produced by Tyler Spicer. The record features eleven songs written by Wood Burnt Red and Spicer, with Todd Peterson handling the mix and Sam Moses mastering the finished album.
The band comprises Tom Franklin on lead vocals and guitar, Rob Graney on lead guitar, Russ Staples on bass and Ed Baldwin on drums. Their sound draws heavily from Southern rock and modern country-rock, but the storytelling behind the material gives the album much of its identity.
Earlier single ‘Best Things’ took a more humorous look at modern ideas of success and the pressure to maintain a certain lifestyle, while songs such as ‘Drifting’ and ‘Count My Blessings’ move into considerably heavier emotional territory. Together, those different sides of the band help give Hold On Tight a broader range than its Southern rock label might initially suggest.
On the road with Parker Barrow
Wood Burnt Red will spend late November and early December as special guests on Parker Barrow’s UK tour. The run begins with a sold-out show at The Black Heart in London on 25 November before continuing through Norwich, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh.
The band then appear at Planet Rock’s Winter’s End festival in January before returning to the road in February as special guests to Danielle Nicole. That five-date run visits London, Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds and Newcastle between 17 and 21 February.
Parker Barrow UK tour
25 November – The Black Heart, London – Sold out
26 November – Waterfront Studio, Norwich
27 November – Craufurd Arms, Milton Keynes
1 December – Metronome, Nottingham
2 December – Institute 3, Birmingham
3 December – Academy 3, Manchester
4 December – Bannerman’s, Edinburgh
Danielle Nicole UK tour
17 February – The 100 Club, London
18 February – Academy 3, Manchester
19 February – Oran Mor, Glasgow
20 February – Brudenell, Leeds
21 February – The Cluny, Newcastle
‘Count My Blessings’ is available now on all major streaming platforms, with an accompanying lyric video also available online. Hold On Tight is out now digitally and on CD and vinyl.
You can also read our full interview with Wood Burnt Red in this month’s free issue of Blues Matters at bluesmatters.com/current-issue/.
