Literate, inviting lyrics paired with beautifully simple acoustic instrumentation.

9 MP3 Songs
COUNTRY: Country Folk, FOLK: Traditional Folk



Details:
Greg Young is a performing songwriter, a guitarist, and a bass player from Abilene, Texas and is part of the growing acoustic music scene there. Together with a few of his friends, he has recorded some of his best originals. Simple acoustic arrangements draw attention to lyrics which could stand alone. Many talented folks contributed to this project. Ed Priest, Jenni Jamison and Cole Bennett provide background vocals. Mark Pruitt adds percussion. Collectively Ed, Jenni, Cole and Mark perform as JamisonPriest. Nashville veteran, Arley Gipson adds banjo and mandolin. Contest-winning Texas fiddler, Reggie Wrinkle plays on two selections and Steve Couch makes a cameo appearance on Hammond B3 organ. Doug Roysden, co-owner of Aardvark Brothers Studio personally oversaw production of this recording engineered by Dana Fahntrapp. Doug considers this album one the best he has produced at the studio. Buyers will notice the attention to detail in the writing, in the performance, in the production and even in the artistic design by award-winning photographer and graphic designer, Tony Ridder.

About the songs...

"Ida Lou" is a light-hearted romp through remote West Texas where our heroine has a run-in with the law. Banjo and fiddle set off the comedic lyrics nicely.

"Notebook", with gorgeous mandolin fills, is a more introspective tune. Loosely based on truth, this is always a hit with other songwriters, artists, poets and all creative types.

"Itinerant Poet" explores the possibilities "if it weren't for the money." My friends tell me the instrumentation reminds them of early Willie Nelson. Maybe so. You be the judge.

"Concrete Dinosaur" conjures up images of the all-American road trip through the Wild West. My son and I made the trek to the Grand Canyon one spring and many of the images come from that experience. Texans will especially relate to this song. And if you are from Glen Rose, Texas, you simply have to listen. It is a rule.

"Empty Cup" is the truest folk song on the project. The back up vocals are outstanding. A simple story that came to me at the Kerrville Folk Festival.

"Mockingbird Waltz" is a day in the life of two songwriters who happen to be man and wife. Two of my good friends inspired this song. You know who you are.

"Paisano" is about the roadrunner, a bird strongly associated with the American Southwest and thought of by the Native Americans as a spiritual messenger. The Roadrunner by Wyman Meinzer, a stunning photography book complete with wonderful details about roadrunners (paisano in Spanish) inspired this song which proves a banjo sounds wonderful in E minor.

"We Believed" is a tribute to the pioneers of West Texas and those who follow in their footsteps. The intoduction is a slow version of Liberty, an old-time fiddle tune popular today as a bluegrass instrumental standard. A Hammond B3 organ is an unusual choice that works to great effect on this song.