Rusty Reid gives ‘Alchemist’ a wider horizon
- FLEX
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
A well-chosen cover can reveal as much about the interpreter as it does about the original writer. And with ‘Alchemist’, Rusty Reid takes a relatively recent composition by Zack Kibodeaux of Blue Water Highway and places it inside a broader, more atmospheric setting, finding fresh emotional space without losing sight of the songwriting beneath it.
The track appears on Reid’s fifth album 'Lone Stardust (Masterworks of Texas Songwriters)', a nineteen-song survey of writers connected to the Lone Star State. That project reaches across generations, from widely recognised figures to names that may be less familiar beyond regional and roots-music circles. As the youngest composition included, ‘Alchemist’ plays an important role. It prevents the collection from becoming overly backward-looking, reminding us that the Texas songwriting tradition remains active rather than preserved behind glass.
His version is shaped by his collaboration with Mumbai-based musician and producer Rohit Bhusan, who contributes keyboards, guitars, bass, drums and percussion. Together, they move beyond a straightforward folk-country treatment and build a more expansive environment around the melody. Acoustic and electric guitars retain the song’s organic centre, while the additional instrumentation introduces depth, movement and a subtly cinematic scale.
The production is detailed, but it remains disciplined. Bhusan’s multi-instrumental contribution gives the recording considerable breadth, yet the song never disappears beneath its surroundings. Each layer seems intended to extend the mood rather than demonstrate technical range, and that balance is crucial to the track’s success.
As a single, ‘Alchemist’ offers an effective introduction to the album’s broader ambitions. It connects Texas songwriting with musicians working thousands of miles apart and shows how a composition can travel without losing its identity.
Rusty Reid has not attempted to claim the song as his own. Instead, he has given it another landscape in which to live; and in doing so, demonstrated the generosity and imagination that make thoughtful interpretation worthwhile.
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