MP3 Alex MacDonald - Footprints

A warm and riveting acoustic journey, infusing intricate folk instrumentation, tight harmonies, poignant, honest lyrics, and the percussive drive of tap dance.

13 MP3 Songs in this album (43:19) !
Related styles: Folk: Folk-Rock, Blues: Folk-Blues, Type: Acoustic

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Details:
This album began with the idea of a footprint being both the physical record of a journey and the emotional stamp left on one's memory by people and places. Compelling stories of love, companionship, family, and coming of age are told with honesty and sincerity, inviting the listener to travel side by side with the artist. The music is informed by the spirit of New England, where the crisp air invigorates the soul and the shifting seasons encourage a wide perspective. Like the journey from autumn to summer, the album begins with a sense of urgency and ends in a relaxed state of reflection.

The instruments played are purely acoustic, as these are the type that need not be manipulated to have a voice. They have come in and out of people's lives, and carry with them the stories and vibrations of a thousand campfires, holidays, concerts, dances, and sunset serenades. Acoustic guitar, standup bass, upright piano, and drums make up the primary palette of sound, supplemented by sprinkles of harmonica, accordion, cello, and foot-pump harmonium. Together, they create a warm blend and the perfect backdrop for the lyrics. With tap dance as a musical motif, the album's "footprints" become an audible entity, adding a dimension of movement to the stories being told. Finally, rich harmonies of male and female voices are layered on top to provide the emotional context for each song.

The album artwork, crafted by the great watercolor painter Jane Baty, depicts the songwriter with his dog, Clancy, venturing out from a cabin in the woods towards a distant, glowing cityscape. It is neither the point of departure nor the destination that matters, but rather the journey in between.

I hope you enjoy.

- Alex MacDonald