MP3 Andrew McKnight - Beyond Borders

The acoustic singer/songwriter stretches his wings on his fourth solo CD, blending global influences, spoken word, and traditional music into his acclaimed songcraft, vocals and guitar work.

15 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Modern Folk, COUNTRY: Bluegrass



Details:
Falling Mountain Music is pleased and excited to announce the release of Beyond Borders by acclaimed singer/songwriter/poet Andrew McKnight, an eclectic mix of predominantly acoustic songs that both touches on familiar themes and challenging new ground.

It is appropriate that this longtime Falling Mountaineer's groundbreaking collection is released ten years after his debut, Traveler. One can chart the artistic and emotional maturation of this gifted artist, from that first release, through Where This River Runs, through Turning Pages. With Beyond Borders, Andrew takes us on another step of his personal journey.

This phase begins after the catastrophic events of 9/11. Like so many of us, after the towers fell Andrew chose to re-examine those things in his life he cherished, those things he believed in, and those things he questioned. There is vintage Andrew with "Hard Times in the Heartland", a look at the plight of small town dwellers caught up in economic upheaval. But there is also a quest to find the musical and cultural threads that bind us all worldwide, as the title cut does so well with the pulsing, polyrhythmic percussion of N. Scott Robinson (Malcolm Dalglish and the Oolites), the driving keyboards of the venerable Jon Carroll (Mary Chapin Carpenter), and the signature sound of Ralph Gordon's upright bass. And rounding out this 15-track collection are call-and-response gospel ("Rust on My Halo"), high lonesome bluegrassy vocals ("How High the Mountain"), and breathtaking poetry ("Do You Hear Them?"), spoken over a bed of spacious percussion, guitar and cello evocative of a John Cage performance piece.

Befitting the celebration of his first decade of recording and touring, it's appropriate that the tracks were recorded by old friend and original Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member Les Thompson, who recorded Where This River Runs, and mixed by Michael DeLalla, founder of Falling Mountain, the record label for which Andrew has been a cornerstone artist all these years.

While Beyond Borders stretches the territory of this ever-inquisitive artist, it invites us all on a quest to step outside of our own comfortable horizons; "sometimes we dare to embrace living life beyond borders".