Rituals

Now playing on the turntable: New album titled 'Rituals' from Watchhouse, Americana group formerly known as Mandolin Orange. More great songs about life!! Maybe my favorite non-jazz related release of 2025. One of those records where you think you've decided on a favorite song ..... but then you hear what's next and have to reconsider all that you thought you knew.

The dominant themes in my world these days is that of growing older, looking back on life and loving someone far away. Whether intended or not when the songs were written, I hear much in the lyrics and the feel of the music that creates connections to my daily issues and life questions.

The songs often lead to reflection and are personally haunting in how old memories are revisited.

In the song, 'Endless Highway Pt. 2' there's a couple minutes of fiddle playing that transported me back fifty years .... so eerily similar to the fiddle of the late, great David Lindley on Jackson Browne albums.