Dean Owens is taking a unique approach in the run up to his next full album. While SPIRIT RIDGE, the 12th studio album from this award winning Scottish troubadour, is due for release in early 2025, fans checking in early are being presented with a trio of tasters for what to expect from this latest exploration into alternative music landscapes. Commercially savvy or just an outlet for multi layers of content, Owens is releasing three four-track EPs of material derived from a dip into the aura of the Italian hills and a hook up with producer Don Antonio. RIDGELINE is the second of these EPs, which consists of digital and CD formats, and hits the shelves on September 27th. Its predecessor GHOST WALKING opened the project in July (see the Bandcamp link below) and SACRI CUORI will complete this phase at the end of November.
While some of the work from THE RIDGE TRILOGY will appear on the full album, albeit likely in fuller versions, various elements are strictly confined to the pre-release formats. Ultimately, interested listeners will have a choice to how far they want to dive into this project. Die hards will immediately jump in, while more causal acquaintances may choose to sample the wares from the EPs and immerse themselves into the full album. This is likely to be the strategy expectations behind the release method with all the tools of modern listening modes utilised.
For now the four songs added include a pair of EP exclusives in 'On the Ridge' and 'Come With Me'. As you would expect from a Dean Owens' record, the accompanying soundtrack is classy and accomplished complementing vocals that are as distinctive as you get in the UK contemporary roots scene. Expect strings, horns and a pulsating beat to adorn songs intelligently constructed.
These two luxury fillings are sandwiched between a couple of tracks set to appear on the eventual album. 'Light This World' opens the collection and features the drumming of John Convertino from Calexico, a liaison instrumental in the practicalities of the Italian side of this venture. This lush song is worth checking out. 'The Buzzard and the Crow' brings things to a halt for now and is an outlier in being a demo recorded in Scotland. For a different take, the version on SPIRIT RIDGE is slated to have the full band input.
Dean Owens continues to be one of the most innovative and creative musicians on the UK roots circuit. One foot in the camp of the standard fare we love and another taking you into different stratospheres. If you thought his recent past has been prolific, it looks at the same pace for the immediate future.
Look out for the third instalment in a couple of months.