B. Reith has injected a dose of optimism in a world that’s taken its share of punches with the release of his video, The Comeback Kid. Yes, the summer has found its anthem and the downtrodden have found their rallying cry in Reith’s latest, an autobiographical tale of perseverance in the face of opposition. Directed by Donald Kilgore for Figtree Collective, the video features Reith in a boxing ring, dropping rhymes as fast as punches against pulsing programming before unleashing his silky tenor in a chorus that will have you singing all day.
Reith (pronounced RYE-TH) awakens the comeback kid in all of us with the story of his exploits in an industry that struggled to understand an artist with his musical diversity. “I don’t have a niche,†Reith says. “Stylistically, I just want to make good music that connects with people. That’s my standard. My goal is to be as authentic to the way God wired me as possible, and not let some identity or stamp keep me from being myself. I sing and rap and love great chords and great stories.â€
In fact, he’s decidedly over the formula for industry success, and with this comeback he is finding fresh ways to connect directly with his fans, including live calls and chats to hear their own comeback stories. He’s as energized as ever and is wholly committed to making those personal connections with his growing numbers of fans.
When considering ways to illustrate the message of The Comeback Kid in a video, manager Calvin Nowell immediately visualized the boxing motif, and the rhythm of the sport matches the song perfectly. The 2-day shoot in Houston captured the entire band performing the song in a ring, Reith rapping through a press conference, and a cameo appearance by Nowell. Astute listeners will hear more music and pop-culture references in a single verse than in most artists’ entire catalogs.
Reith has known considerable success in the video format before, with a six month run of the video for Go On in American Eagle stores. There’s also more to come during this comeback. Look for a stunning video for Antidote later this summer, and continued acoustic remakes of songs from “Now is Not Foreverâ€.