Rattlebag is the second solo album from the acclaimed British singer and guitarist Ben Ottewell (The End Records, 2014). As a singer and lead guitarist in Mercury Award-winning rock band Gomez, Ben Ottewell is well known for his unmistakable voice and talent for blistering and inspired guitar solos. Rolling Stone declared, “Gomez's not-so-secret weapon is Ben Ottewell.” And as GQ Magazine once wrote and anyone listening can attest, "his voice is not of this world.”

Ottewell released his first solo album Shapes & Shadows (ATO) in 2011, featuring such beautiful acoustic tunes as Blackbird, Shapes and Shadows and Take This Beach, which appeared on FX’s Sons of Anarchy. Since then, Ottewell has been pleasing audiences with a series solo tours across the UK, US and Australia.

On Rattlebag, Ottewell once again collaborated with childhood friend and his Shapes & Shadows writing partner Sam Genders, previously of Tunng. Simultaneously stripped-down and lush, the album is a collection of beautifully poetic tales of salvation and redemption, of sanctuary and braving rocky seas in search of distant shores. Ottewell’s infectious melodies and bluesy riffs will stick with you, and beg you to sing along.

Rattlebag is a record that transcends, appealing to Gomez fans for the recognizable sound they have come to love, and going beyond into a fresh new direction, evoking Americana and folk influences to create something that can be uniquely labelled as Ben Ottewell. “There’s a time and place for us / I will take you there,” he sings (Shoreline). Ottewell proffers hope and promise accompanied by sublime acoustic and slide guitars, and that’s something we can all use.