“I Don’t Wanna Be Me Anymore” is the new single from North Carolina’s Nick Chandler & Delivered. These bluegrass scene mainstays are, like everyone else, regaining their bearings in the pandemic’s aftermath and it has taken its toll. COVID left Chandler, in particular, reeling and called into question his ability to continue recording. Chandler recovered, however, and this new single marks his return.
It is a stirring success. Chandler and the band hold a steady hand over the song, never getting carried away with itself, but they push David Stewart’s song at an energetic pace. The instrumental work is precise without ever sacrificing even a modicum of the desired feel, especially Chandler’s mandolin. His respected work on the instrument stands out in a crowded field, mandolin is time-tested in the style, and “I Don’t Wanna Be Me Anymore” wouldn’t work nearly as well without it.
The guitar, upright bass, and banjo are integral as well. Hudson Bosworth’s consistent guitar playing is even more impressive when you consider his vocal chores, but he discharges his obligations with unquestionable authority. No one needs to scream or shout to put this song over, its core qualities are so strong that performers need to give it what it needs, and everything falls into place.
Zach McCracken’s banjo playing provides an excellent counterpoint for Chandler and Bosworth. This stalwart element of any bluegrass band has a careful balance to maintain standing out for its skill, paying tribute to tradition, and never striking a false note. Bluegrass fans aren’t going to stand long for imitators. Chandler and Delivered do not treat bluegrass music like it is some butterfly trapped under glass but, instead, like it is a worthy vehicle for expressing the human experience.
The vocals do a five-star job invoking that human experience. The collection of voices heard throughout “I Don’t Wanna Be Me Anymore” checks off every emotional box for listeners and treats Stewart’s songwriting with the respect it deserves. If the new single is a preview of where the band’s music is overall, Nick Chandler and Delivered are emerging from the pandemic stronger than before and still excited by music.
The road ahead is long. Rebuilding the momentum lost over the last two years will take time, but Chandler and Delivered’s commitment to music burns as bright as ever. You can hear some pandemic-bred weariness with self in this song, to be sure, but the song’s existence is a triumph and listeners should hear it accordingly. It is one of the genre’s finest achievements in recent memory.
Its production frames it in the best possible light. “I Don’t Wanna Be Me Anymore” will play well for large and small audiences alike, but there’s no question the production presents it as an intimate confessional despite its bevy of voices. It captures each instrument with clarity as well. Nick Chandler and Delivered have crossed all their T’s and dotted the needed I’s to make “I Don’t Wanna Be Me Anymore” one of 2022’s best examples of modern bluegrass.
Troy Johnstone