‘Spoon and the Flame’ features the border-crossing blend of influences that is Red Red’s trademark, combining solos from master Belgian disc-spinner DJ Courtasock with jangly Irish bouzouki and hard rock drums and guitar. Fans of artists like Steve Earle and bands like The Black Keys and Urban Dance Squad should find something they’ll enjoy.
The song is about the epidemic of opioid addiction sweeping through lead singer Tom Beardslee’s home state of Ohio and elsewhere in the US. The song explores the opiate crisis through the lives of two ordinary Americans trapped by prescription drug addiction: an injured soldier returning from home, and a single working mother trying to support her children while suffering from a back injury. Often treated as ‘poor life choices’ by law enforcement and politicians, Spoon and the Flame angrily points the finger back at the pharmaceutical companies, the politicians, and the complacent attitudes that made the problem in the first place.