In a recent interview with France’s “Loud TV“, Sevendust vocalist Lajon Witherspoon discussed the band’s fifteenth studio album, One, which arrived on May 1 via Napalm Records. For this record, Sevendust teamed up once again with producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida. Michael “Elvis” Baskette is widely known for his previous work with rock heavyweights like Alter Bridge and Slash.
Speaking on the follow-up to their 2023 release Truth Killer, Lajon Witherspoon shared his thoughts on the band’s creative progression and the emotional depth of the new material.
“We put a lot of work into it. I feel like all our albums are the best, but for whatever reason, I really feel like this one is one of our best — maybe due to maturity and the seasons and the things that we’ve gone through in life that we were able to… I like to say — an album, to me, is a collage and it tells a lot of different stories, and I really feel like this one does… I do feel like definitely a rollercoaster of trying to get to the bright side of things in life. I feel like there’s always up and ups and downs, but at the end of the day, we always come out on top somehow,” he explained (as transcribed by Blabbermouth).
During the conversation, the interviewer pointed out that Lajon Witherspoon frequently sings about emotional “scars” throughout the lyrics on One.
“Absolutely,” he agreed. “But those are what makes us stronger too, at times. And those scars, they always stay with you no matter what. It just only gets better, but that scar could still be there.”
When asked to identify his deepest personal scar, the singer opened up about a devastating family tragedy that has shaped his life.
“Oh, man. No one’s ever asked me that. Probably my deepest scar is the passing — my little brother was killed, and that would probably be the deepest scar for me, still to this day, was losing him in the way that we lost him. So, I feel like his energy’s always with me though… I pray for him every day, and I feel like he’s here, even though he’s not here. But I feel his soul is here with me and he is very proud and I’m still proud of him too.”
Three years ago, Lajon Witherspoon told Loudwire that the Sevendust track he was most proud of was “Shine“, featured on their 2001 album Animosity. The song was penned about his younger brother, Reginald Witherspoon, who was tragically murdered nearly a quarter of a century ago.
“[I wrote it] about my little brother that passed… who was killed,” the singer stated at the time, noting that he often dedicates live performances of the track to his brother’s memory.”I wish he was able to be here, alive, to be with me and to see what we’ve done.”
Reginald Witherspoon was 23 years old when he was fatally shot in the Parkway Terrace Homes area of East Nashville on November 9, 2002. According to police reports from the time, he was approached by three men, one of whom entered his vehicle. After a brief drive down the street, the other two men approached the car at an intersection and opened fire, alongside the passenger inside the vehicle. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds and passed away shortly after arriving at a local hospital.
Following the tragic loss, Sevendust dedicated their fourth studio album, Seasons, to the memories of both Reginald Witherspoon and original Drowning Pool vocalist Dave Williams, who died from cardiomyopathy in August 2002.
