I had to do it. Just had to. After the critical acclaim of lockdown's Rattlesnake Love in 2020, I'd appear to go in a completely different direction and bring some of my singer-songwriter material demo'd some fifteen years ago into the studio - devoid of electric guitars - abandon my classic blues rock and shuffle thing and go all folky, all acoustic-y. Why oh why? Well, first thing is I thoroughly enjoyed making a second 'lockdown' album (although the restrictions had been temporarily loosened a little bit) and the result burned to commercial CD seems to have pleased some at the Americana, Country, Blues and Rock music blog, The Rocking Magpie. Grown up stuff.
Secondly, I had a load of songs where the acoustic guitars (6- and 12-string) allow the stories and the melodies to weave their way into your ears rather than the stomping beat. Although there is a bit of that too, just not overdone. Can't resist. Yes, I got a bit soft, I guess. But the more I dug out and worked up the old stuff - stuff I wanted to improve and record professionally - the more I kept coming up with new songs. As it happened, quite a few of those fitted the album style too and got slotted in with the others.
The Rocking Magpie blog (https://rockingmagpie.wordpress.com) is organised and run by Alan Harrison from the Tyne & Wear region of northern England. He and his mates get sent CD's and vinyl to review from all over the world, literally. They indulge in writing about their passion, which is music in the aforementioned genres they've been into for years. Yes, you've guessed it, they're no supporters of the new tech streaming platforms who pay me at the rate of 0.0004 US cents a play! Luddites maybe, but case you've been absent for the last 20 years or so, 'do the math'. Alan and co.'s adage is "Buy, don't Spotify". And I can't knock that!
They review new material all the way from Dylan to the emerging artist. And he has some pretty good things to say about Strangeness & Charm, which currently is available to buy from this website on CD or lossless download and is available to pre-order right now as a compressed digital download from all the usual DD stores. It'll be available for download purchase from December 1st 2021 and should make a decent Christmas present (hint, hint)!
I suppose thereafterwards it'll hit the streaming sites that Alan and co. detest so.
The review will be coming out in The Rocking Magpie on the 30th November and, already knowing what it's going to say, I'm as pleased as punch! And when it does, I'll put a link to it on the website and this blog.
Previews of all songs from this plus all previous five albums are available to listen to on my website.
I think you'll agree on listening to this new album, that I may finally have grown up!