Singer Josh Ritter talks politics, offers hope on ‘Fever Breaks’

When writing for his 10th album, “Fever Breaks,” singer Josh Ritter, like many creatives, couldn’t help but be inspired by the country’s political climate.

“The songs are very reflective of the times in which they were written,” Ritter told Rolling Stone in January, calling two songs in particular – “All Some Kind of Dream” and “The Torch Committee” – some of the record’s more overtly political songs.

“I saw the children in the holding pens/I saw the families ripped apart…/There was a time when we held them close/And weren’t so cruel, low, and mean,” Ritter sings in “All Some Kind of Dream.”

But, also like most creatives, Ritter tried to uplift listeners as well.

“The album is not all darkness,” Grammy-winning musician Jason Isbell, who produced the record, said. “It’s not all drowning. There’s some resilience and some hope on the record.”

Ritter recorded “Fever Breaks,” which brings him to the Knitting Factory on Friday, with Isbell at Nashville’s RCA Studio A.

Isbell’s band the 400 Unit played on the album, as did Isbell’s wife, singer/violinist Amanda Shires.