Down the Line - Dan Israel

Down the Line - Dan Israel

3:01

Time I Get To Cedar Lake, 2018

Written by Dan Israel

 Israel has been described as the "hardest-working singer-songwriter in Minnesota."  This song is mid-tempo, jangly folk-pop in the style of Pete Yorn, Wilco and similarly raw, literate artists influenced by Dylan, Costello, and their ilk.  It's got a catchy melody, with Israel's straightforward singing delivery, a conversational, laidback Midwestern drawl, giving it a down-home touch. 

Dickie Betts - The Dean Ween Group

Dickie Betts - The Dean Ween Group

3:26

The Deaner Album, 2016

Written by Dean Ween

This guitar-led instrumental is an homage to the Allman Brothers sound.  A boogie-woogie piano line under the soaring Southern rock guitars gives the song its playful edge.  It's a little bit jazz, a little big jam band. It's probably also equal parts sincere admiration and goofy aping, like most of Ween's output.  Like the guitarist it honors, it's played with a relaxed swagger, but a pinch of silliness is added in as well.

Dream Chaser - Willie Nelson

Dream Chaser - Willie Nelson

3:15

Dream Chaser, 2026

Written by Buddy Cannon, Willie Nelson, and Bobby Tomberlin

Astonishingly, on his seventy-ninth studio album, Nelson's voice is in terrific form. This song is an uptempo celebration of the life of a musician.  Lyrically, perhaps inevitably with the singer at 93 years of age, it's a wistful, but not maudlin, look back at the past: "Time just seems to vanish / Right before my eyes / You may not understand it / Why we live with the sacrifice."  Echoing the sentiment of many artists, he also declares "I've done it all for free."  At this stage, Nelson isn't reinventing the wheel, but it's a highly enjoyable example of the work of an absolute master who writes five quality songs by the time the average country singer has finished tuning up.