Brandon Ratcliff ‘Uncovers’ Fleetwood Mac Influence on ‘Rhiannon’

Newcomer Brandon Ratcliff is just beginning his career — and already standing out by seamlessly threading classic rock and R&B into his country sound. So, as fans get acquainted, this non-typical artist has started a project called Uncovered to pull the lid off his musical roots.

“The premise of this project was to pick three songs that changed the course of who I am as a singer, songwriter, and artist,” Ratcliff tells Sounds Like Nashville. “For me these three songs really represent that. For different reasons, they all had a huge impact on me and what I gravitated towards as I was developing my own sound. I knew I wanted to make music like these people, and I’m excited for everyone to hear my versions of these songs.”

First up from the 25-year-old Louisiana native is an iconic blast of ’70s rock, as Ratcliff delivers a smooth, smokey, soulful rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s immortal “Rhiannon.” A legacy artist, Ratcliff’s mother is Suzanne Cox of The Cox Family bluegrass group, and Ratcliff says her touch is all over his own music. His new version of “Rhiannon” might feel totally different from the original, but he keeps the track’s enchanted-mystical element intact, reviving a hypnotic standout for a new era.

“Rhiannon was a song I remember my mom playing early on in my childhood,” Ratcliff explains. “I specifically gravitated towards Lindsey Buckingham – he changed the way I thought about guitarists and how you can play a guitar. There was something about the way he played that was so recognizable and distinctive, and I knew I wanted to put guitar hooks like that into all of my own songs. The challenge for the cover in general, was to try to make my own version of this iconic song, and figure out how to add my own style to it, which was a really fun challenge.”

A featured artist on Sounds Like Nashville’s 2020 Ones to Watch list, Ratcliff has much more in store as the first chapter of his career unfolds. Working with with Grammy-award winning producer Shane McAnally on his own original music (like the debut single, “Rules of Breaking Up”), he’ll also offer up intriguing takes on two more well-known tracks as Uncovered continues.