Everywhere we look, all directions… cuts cuts cuts. No money for anything. Bleak times. Time then for uplifting songs? Time for lyrics that are fuelled by the gloom? There is a place for all comers.
The new song is really progressing. It should actually be a refreshing surprise for you all. I can reveal (if I haven’t already) that it is the latest track in my collaboration with Bill Ryan. The Eleventh Hour as a project has been a revelation. Nearing 8 songs in, I’ve got to say that it has been a joy to construct a collection of songs that are so focussed, intelligent and rocking. While the country around me is taking part in a reckless gamble it is with a certain reassurance that I now ponder what The Eleventh Hour has so far achieved. The songs are powerful, modern, forward-looking and distinctly retro. I like that. A set of songs that feel like the future (garlic bread don’t you know) and yet could be considered retro. Oxymorons and other such strange words. This is the world Bill and I inhabit. And it comes naturally. This has been a most constructive year for me. I have written songs which I rank among my personal best. It has been great to work with such a fine lyricist as Bill. Before our collaboration I felt I had probably written all I had to say. I could pick you a song I had written which could sum up most emotions. But I realise I was wrong to feel that way. You can never ‘be done’ with writing lyrics. There is ALWAYS something to say. Which leads on brilliantly to the subject of the new Eleventh Hour song. It very much feeds on these ideas. Can you ‘be done’ with music? Music itself. Music and lyrics. The song will help answer the question. I don’t necessarily think it’s a question that any of you out there are asking. But it’s a question that for me very much needs to be answered. This is the song that needed to be written. Most songs are accidental. Plucked from the ether. This song is a necessity. Wait till you hear it. You might just understand what I mean. And if you don’t, the X-factor will be on the tv for your eternal enjoyment.
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