Musical Atavism

Now this is something a bit different. This album hasn’t been recorded yet. In fact, it hasn’t even been written – at least not all of it. Some of these songs have been lingering in the back of my mind for a long time, others are fairly new, still others are taking their time enjoying the scenery on their journey through the creative birth canal. Because they’re very unusual songs, I’m going to invite you to eavesdrop or be a fly on the wall during the creative process which is, for the most part, as follows: I write the song – or the lyrics, or the melody – and record them with my guitar. Then I’ll live with it a while, listening to it a few times a week for a month or two, letting it marinate. Often, during those weeks, a segment of the melody or lyric will change. Sometimes drastically, sometimes just a tweak here and there. Once the song is “finished” to my satisfaction, I’ll decide how I want it produced; is it a song that warrants bare production, just vocal and guitar, maybe vocal, bass, and guitar – or does it beg for fuller production? If so, I send the recording to my arranger, Charlie Miller, who is brilliant and has a unique ability to crawl inside my brain and extract just the sounds I’m looking for.

Here are clips of a few early samples, the first The Night for Dancin’ is 90% complete, though the vocal will be re-recorded before the official release. The second, Watermelon Moon is just me and guitar. This is the format in which Charlie will hear it and to which he’ll add his musical magic for the final production. It All Comes Back to Me Now features the astoundingly versatile Cindy Murphy-Orr on vocals. The rest are in various stages of development.Enjoy!

The Night for Dancin’ – Excerpt