Over the years I have written many songs which tell stories. Often these stories have not had much opportunity for an outlet in the normal run of my life as a worship pastor. The idea behind the album came from a friend who wanted different options when introducing my music to friends who perhaps had less interest in Gospel songs. These then are selected because they tell stories that anyone could relate to.

I had a huge amount of fun with these songs since I felt completely unconstrained regarding how to arrange them – the gloves came off. So it is infused with pianos and acoustic instruments, bases, synthesizers and wailing guitars and layer after layer of tasty vocals. Musical influences from the 70s, 80s, 90s and 00s all vie for their rightful place along with some carefully curated sound effects.

I’d had the idea of shadows which hint at the solid world, but also things from way back in time. Bear in mind one or two of these songs go back to my earliest attempts at songwriting. What surprised me was how little re-writing I had to do in order for the songs to work in the ‘now’.

In order the songs are:
Searchlight
Fancy Feeling
Paranoid Time
Death of a Rockstar
Roll On
When Will It Be Alright
Lifetime
Fight Night
The Dream
I Need You Now
Here By Your Side
See Me Now

Whilst I could attempt descriptions for each, I feel it is best for the listener to decide into what style or genre they might fit and would loosely label the collection as Rock.

As for the cover photo, we were in Turkey and had just had a fabulous trip to Pamukkale. On the return journey, the coach had engine trouble and pulled over to await repair. I took a variety of pics of my shadow in the grit at the side of the road and this one made the cut. It just seemed to encapsulate the album theme – a recognisable human shaped shadow. Nice!

The album is available as a digital release, whether you are a downloader or a streamer you can get hold of this album from wherever you get your music.