Discogs
http://www.lyalstrickland.com/
The songs Lyal Strickland writes are like the world he lives in: A little tough sometimes, doggedly inspiring at others, but always absolutely real. I ve never understood all those country songs about backroading and partying all the time, says the Missouri Ozarks songwriter. That s great, but I always wondered where they find time for that. Don t you still have to work sometime?
Strickland doubles as a working farmer so when he writes about surviving in modern-day America, he s speaking from experience. He s also been writing songs since high school, when he played assemblies and sold homemade CD s for souvenirs. 2014 s Balanced on Barbed Wire was his sixth album, but the first to get national distribution and acclaim; winning raves like Pure Americana, melodic and warm; lyrically thoughtful and full of feel (Popdose) and music with Universal resonance rural grit and grace (No Depression). Now comes Preservation, combining Strickland s signature gritty singing and sharp observations with some of his most personal work to date.
Most of the songs were written in a two-week burst of activity, and recorded with a small group of carefully selected musicians a change from past albums, where he d include everybody I could think of, just because it was great to have them all on the record. Aiming for a modern authenticity, he used a mix of vintage and contemporary equipment that gave Preservation a warm and natural tone. I didn t want to polish things up too much. I wanted a sound that would be true to the lyrics.
With full production, the more tender songs like Pretty Good Core sit comfortably alongside anthems like Minimum Wage. One major key to the sound is pedal steel legend Robby Turner, who s played with Waylon Jennings, the Dixie Chicks, Sturgill Simpson, and can currently be found with Chris Stapleton. We have some songs here that are soft and fragile and a couple that are pretty rambunctious, so we thought a lot about making it all sound cohesive. Robby made that happen, Strickland says.