SKIP EWING: SONGWRITING’S MISSING ELEMENT

If I’m being honest, the state of country music and songwriting hasn’t given me much inspiration to sit down and write in quite awhile. There was a time that writing about it was all I wanted to do, then the passion began to slowly fade with each new Top 40 song, with each snap clap track and I felt the fire burn out with the content of each new rapid fire “hit” song pushed to radio every few weeks. It’s become stale, boring and without meaning or depth. The storytelling aspect of music seems to be lacking vision. There used to be a time you could find yourself smack in the middle of a song’s story, you could relate and get lost in the music. Skip Ewing, one of music’s most loved and talented storytellers is bringing back what’s been missing and I haven’t been this fired up and excited about an album in a long time. 

As a songwriter, Skip Ewing, BMI’s Country Songwriter of the Year in 2000, is the quiet, unassuming pen behind such hits as Randy Travis’ “If I Didn’t Have You”,  Collin Raye’s “Love, Me”, Diamond Rio’s “I Believe”, Bryan White’s “Rebecca Lynn” and “Someone Else’s Star”, Clint Black’s “Something That We Do,” Kenny Chesney’s “You Had Me From Hello,” Reba McEntire’s “Every Other Weekend,” and more. He knows how to tell a story and better yet, a story that resonates and appeals to various emotions. He is an important part of the music that solidified a genre and now, after a long absence, he’s back to tell a new personal story with his long-awaited album, “Wyoming”, due for release on September 25. 

Without saying too much and keeping the mystique of the album before it’s release, I will just say that I hope this album inspires new and current writers to make songwriting an art again, to paint color back on the boring beige canvas and to write from a deeper place. This album is an open window that lets in much needed fresh air. Skip isn’t about chasing chart positions or radio spins, he’s about authenticity and crafting simple, yet complex stories that will eventually find their way into a place to call home, the hearts of those who listen.

You can currently listen to or download a few of the songs, including the title track, “Wyoming”, at digital outlets now. I hope you’ll take the time to listen. The album in it’s entirety will release on September 25, but you can pre-order a signed physical cd or a digital download now at www.skipewing.com.

Wyoming Track List:

1.   Railroad

2.   The Juggler

3.   Wyoming

4.   Petroglyph

5.   Margolaigne

6.   Little Jenny

7.   Wings

8.   Until It’s Gone

9.   Santa Fe

10.  Whiskey Basin

11.  Cowboy Inside

12.  Unicorns