Boston-based singer-songwriter Staci Gruber releases her new single, “This Time Around,” a contagious honky-tonk song written by Staci and Michael Orland. The track was recorded in Nashville and produced by Erik Halbig (Ty Herndon, Jamie O’Neal).
Gruber explains, “‘This Time Around’ is really a story of love that pulled too hard, truth that came too late, and a heart that finally listened when it mattered most.”
Music played a central role in Staci’s life from an early age. What began as a private, introspective interest—singing quietly in her closet—became much more after she gave her first solo performance, “12 Days of Christmas,” in elementary school. That experience revealed the strength of her voice and motivated her to develop her talents.
Staci spent her childhood summers at the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts, where her love for music blossomed. Later, she took a unique path by becoming the first student to move from the classical voice program into the jazz studies department in a special five‑year dual‑degree program between Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music.
This combination of training helped her become a versatile singer-songwriter. Her musical influences include Anne Murray and Barbra Streisand, Karen Carpenter, KD Lang, Billie Eilish, Pink, Nancy Wilson, and John Coltrane. She eventually became the lead vocalist for a well‑known GB band that performed multiple genres of music.
At the same time, Staci built a successful career in a completely different field. She became a respected professor at Harvard Medical School and a leading neuroscientist at McLean Hospital. Her research focuses on understanding the long‑term effects of cannabinoids across different health conditions.
“This Time Around” rolls out on wicked honky-tonk-flavored guitars backed by an oozing, braying organ, adding deliciously nasty surfaces. Gruber’s evocative voice imbues the lyrics with hints of intense passion and a quality of love that refuses to be dissuaded. There’s a luscious, sensuous drawl to her voice, a suggestive kind of twanginess that lures listeners in.
Simultaneously appealing and authentically unique, the voice of Staci Gruber perfectly complements the mood of “This Time Around.”
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