Danny Schmidt has a knack for using the tools of traditional music in new and innovative ways. Pulling from classic-style country and the blues, he opens his second disc, Instead the Forest Rose to Sing, with one of the album's best tracks, the timely tune "Better Off Broke" (purchase/download). It's an easy entry point to what becomes a tour through stellar topical tunes and heartbreaking story-songs.
Highlights of 'Instead the Forest Rose to Sing'
On a similar theme to the opening track's embracing of tradition and the precarious condition of the economy, "Grandpa Built Bridges" (purchase/download) tells a fine tale that ties in the importance of work ethic, storytelling, tradition, our elders and our crumbling infrastructure. In this brief tune, Schmidt pulls together all the complicated layers of progress.Other highlights include the difficult story of tough times and fiery tempers that cancel each other out in "Firestorm" (purchase/download) and "Serpentine Cycle of Money" (purchase/download), where singer-songwriter Carrie Elkin's backing vocal harmonies strongly drive the chorus. For anyone who is still unfamiliar with Schmidt's work, Instead the Forest, his Red House Records debut, will serve as an excellent introduction.
