CHRIS DANIELS
Better Days
* * * *
Does the name Chris Daniels ring any bells? Not right away?
How about Sam Bush? Daniels been in bands with him. Lloyd Maines? Check. Richie
Furay? Yep. Béla Fleck? Un huh. He hangs half the bluegrass, folk, and country
pantheon, but he generally only headlines with his Colorado-based band, The
Kings, and this is only his second solo album since 1983. We can be happy he
made it, but he’s even happier; Daniels celebrates his 60th birthday
with this album after almost losing his life to leukemia. And if you think
there’s no humor in that, give a listen to “Medical Marijuana,” whose wry
witticisms evoke Bill Hicks. We can certainly indulge him in sunny remembrances
of favorite places such as “South Carolina” and “El Dorado Canyon.” “Cabin
Fever”–a song he penned in 1976–is an honorary New England anthem for all who
know it. Better Days is Daniels’
welcome back to health and it strikes a lovely balance between new energy and
earned nostalgia. Regarding the latter, the project is actually an album and a
half--disc two contains five live tracks from a show he did with New Grass
Revival in 1985. It’s also one of the last of the true album CDs, a
perfect-bound 60-page booklet printed on heavy stock and filled with lyrics,
thoughts, and photos. Here’s wishing Daniels lots of better days.
Check out the Webpage link above for music samples and other
information.
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