For Darrell Scott, this time it’s personal.
The phrase reads like a clichéd tagline to a movie poster. But when it comes to A Crooked Road, the latest solo album by from singer-songwriter Scott, the words couldn’t ring more true.
For Darrell Scott, this time it’s personal.
The phrase reads like a clichéd tagline to a movie poster. But when it comes to A Crooked Road, the latest solo album by from singer-songwriter Scott, the words couldn’t ring more true.
To appreciate the commitment, you first have to understand the man. A prolific and award-winning songwriter in his own right, Scott’s work may be best known by mainstream America when it has been performed by others. Travis Tritt, Kathy Matea, Zakk Wylde, Faith Hill, Keb’ Mo’ and Dixie Chicks have all famously covered some of Scott’s tunes, with the Chicks earning a 2003 Grammy nomination for “Long Time Gone.”
As one of Nashville’s top session men, Scott has earned praise while playing at the side of everyone from Steve Earle to Trisha Yearwood, and he’s often eager to collaborate with the town’s other musicians on his own material. You could certainly say that Scott keeps himself busy, and connected, in music’s premier city. And it was in such a typical situation that Scott found himself crafting the first tunes that would comprise A Crooked Road.
As Scott began to notice an album emerging among the similar strands of several new songs, he took a break from his busy collaborative schedule. Usually eager to work with his celebrated peers, this time he wrote, refined and recorded the album entirely on his own.
The isolation was perhaps fitting for Scott, who was still adjusting to life alone after a marriage that ended after nearly 30 years. That poignancy and additional reflection was also fueled by his approaching 50th birthday.
While the names mentioned above may be more renowned than Scott’s, the finished solo project (and after composing and performing every component to A Crooked Road by himself, “solo” is definitely the right word) reminds all of his immense talent as both a writer and performer. After Scott’s 2005 album, Theatre of the Unheard, claimed the album of the year award at the Independent Music Awards, A Crooked Road’s two CDs once again show him at the top of his game.
The title track sets the stage for its 19 companions with lyrics that get straight to the point, characterizing the personal nature of the album and bouncing from lows to highs before Scott croons that he has everything he needs to be happy and despite the downtimes he’ll pursue that happiness from here out.
“The Day Before Thanksgiving” sets out something of a credo for Scott who says, after buzzing around the backcountry lanes in a borrowed Mercedes, “there ain’t no shame in walking down these roads” if it means he’d have to compromise his beliefs to afford a luxury car.
Eighteen songs later listeners will emerge with an even clearer portrait of Scott, who sings of life and loves found and lost with a candor that engages just as much as his impressive compositions.
While some local fans may have caught his Wednesday night concert at Jammin’ Java, everyone can get a taste for Scott’s new tracks when A Crooked Road is released next Tuesday, May 25.
• For more information on Darrell Scott, visit www.darrellscott.com.
