Sleepwalking

Award-winning Seattle singer/songwriter R.X. "Bob" Bertoldi's latest single is a dynamic, unvarnished and largely solo acoustic effort. The fresh track reads and sounds like a heartfelt, wistful acknowledgement of the protagonist's inability to properly grieve the early loss of his father, and the years of flawed thinking and poor decision making that followed. The self-isolation, delusions, and pleasure seeking to numb the pain referenced in the lyrics only appear to have compounded the initial woes.

Whether the stretch of self-confessed unawareness is autobiographical or not, Bertoldi himself clearly woke up on the right side of songwriting. He's achieved notable radio success also: Bob's "Black Coffee in the Mornin'" and his cover of the Faces' classic "Ooh La La" were both played on SiriusXM's Coffeehouse 3x and 2x weekly, respectively, for five and four years running. Bertoldi's last album "Tracks in Perspective" (2019) garnered strong non-commercial radio support, and even broke the AMA Radio Chart's Top 100 a couple of times during its nearly 5-month-long stay there. Bob's songs have also earned Top Winning slots in international song contests, such as the John Lennon Song Contest, the Indie-International Song Contest and the Great American Song Contest (GASC). Of his First Place Winner for the Folk/American category, GASC judges praised his song, "Something Good" for its "original and emotionally compelling lyrical imagery and solidly devised melodic structure."

Bertoldi capably handles nearly all the instruments on "Sleepwalking", including the guitars, vocals, drums and percussion. Only the bass was recorded at a distance by Seattle maestro Keith Lowe, and his notes lock in perfectly with Bob's basic but full-bodied drumming to give this confessional stroll an appropriately solid foundation. It was mixed by acclaimed Seattle producer & guitarist, Johnny Sangster (Mudhoney, The Posies and more & Case/Lang/Veirs, Neko Case, Tripwires).


Although a slower tempo ballad, "Sleepwalking" is anything but a sleeper. This Americana ballad's ruminating lines express past sorrow, but also present awareness and gratitude. The music and lyrics show that R.X. Bertoldi continues to vigorously follow his muse, despite some unfavorable conditions and the unsettling times of Covid-19. Americana radio listeners are sure to appreciate "Sleepwalking" for its blend of reflective lyrics, organic instrumentation and heartfelt delivery.