MP3 Don Middlebrook and Living Soul - Changing Lanes

I play with Greg "Fingers" Taylor who played with Jimmy Buffett for 26 years, and that makes our music Caribbean soul with a kick.

12 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Acoustic, POP: California Pop



Details:
Don Middlebrook and Living Soul announce the release of their eighth CD, Changing Lanes. Know for their feel good warm weather Caribbean sound, this 12 song journey focuses on the changing and challenging times we are living in. As Middlebrook states, "In this crazy and dramatic world that we see unfolding everyday in our lives, a songwriter should recognize that today, more that ever, the world is an oyster bed of material to pull from. We are in a critical moment in history. Drugs, sex, and rock and roll are not enough to carry an artist or a listener. The bar has risen and writers must rise up to the bar and tackle these "in your face" issues that continue to cause such a world wide high alert. I believe our CD does that and it doesn't hold back and that I'm proud of."

Cut number four, Take Me Back, is a reminiscing song of life before 9/11 and security checks. Middlebrook sings, "I remember the gypsy days, music around every corner. Now I fear there will always be tears. There's trouble at the border. Take me back to the days where dreams aren't blown away, where everyone had a chance to dance. Take me back." And in the song, The Whole World Need to Be Held Like a Baby, which was inspired by holding his two month old niece, Middlebrook has found the answer to world peace. "she touched my chin and our eyes locked in. How can I explain the kind of world she will be walking in? The whole world needs to be held like a baby." Changing Lanes is also full of fun and travel that has been a Living Soul trademark. Florida, A Perfect Day and I Stole Jimmy Buffett's TV Guide keep you on the road to adventure and sunny skies, with a little piracy thrown in for good measure. I Don't Want to Have the Blues with You and The Girl with the Clothes Tag Out remind us sex, drugs and rock and roll is not completely forgotten by this band of gypsies. Truly the cutting edge of the CD is the relentless effort to sing and debate the oddities of the world we live in. Changes Looking at Me addresses fidelity and the present day position of the Catholic Church. "He was a good guy, a good husband, a good father, something is wrong with the position of the collar. He's wearing it too tight, he wont be home tonight." In Frozen in Arizona, Middlebrook takes a swing at the Ted Williams story and what his deceased father would think if he knew that Ted really wasn't dead, "And you might call it just a little family feud, but if it breaks your heart, wait until the garage sale starts in the year 2032."

No fear to stand up to controversy, Marco Polo in a Car and Changing Lanes will be featured in a Showtime Original film called "The Opposite Sex".

Middlebrook adds, "These are our lives, our times, and I observe, slowly digest and put it to music. It's my own little therapy session. Finding the fun in dysfunction is good for the heart. Anything that goes from a bar napkin to a CD, now that's magic, no Dr. Phil necessary.

If the songs and lyrics are the cake, the players are definitely a three layer frosting. Chris Corey, Living Soul's keyboard player for the last thee years has blossomed into one of the finest keyboard players in the Mid West. He is able to se the mood of the various stages Middlebrook's compositions go through. Greg "Fingers" Taylor, who toured and recorded with Jimmy Buffett twenty-six years and James Taylor for four years, adds his famous harmonica sound that is peppered throughout the CD. The Season and the new CD promis to be one of Living Soul's best yet.