Hear Timothy B. Schmit’s Lilting New Song ‘Pearl on the String’
Almost 40 years on from his defining hit with the Eagles, “I Can’t Tell You Why,” Timothy B. Schmit is still living life at the same unruffled pace that he always has. Last year, the California singer and bassist released Leap of Faith, a collection of peaceful, easy-feeling Americana tracks that was his first solo LP in seven years. The latest single from the album is the lilting “Pearl on the String.” (Listen to the song above.)
Drifting along on an airy melody and Schmit’s trademark tenor, “Pearl on the String” is a loping beauty of a tune. But, like much of the album that was finished in the wake of the death of Schmit’s Eagles bandmate Glenn Frey in early 2016, there’s a somber undercurrent to the song, as the singer reflects on the fleeting, delicate nature of life. “I might fall or I could spread my wings,” he sings. “It’s just another pearl on the string.”
In an interview with Rolling Stone Country last summer, Schmit still expressed shock at Frey’s passing. “He’s dead. It’s unbelievable,” he said. “Everybody is still processing it. But part of processing it is carrying on.”
Schmit goes on tour later this week, starting with a show in Chicago on April 16th. He and the surviving Eagles will return to the stage in July for the Classic East and West shows with Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Journey and more in New York and Los Angeles.